Blind Date
by PUCKLEBERRY PURE
Summary: Ten years after high school, Rachel goes on a blind date only to see a familiar face across the table. Reviews always appreciated! Definite SMUCKLEBERRY with a side of plot.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Well… I'm back. I'm trying out the "older" couple again… future fic… possibly AU as I may ignore the Quinn pregnancy again. I am definitely ignoring the dumb Lauren thing with Puck. Ridiculous. So… here goes. **

**Mark Salling: I want you.**

**Glee Disclaimer: Fox has it. I want it.**

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Rachel Berry wound her way to the hostess stand cursing herself all the way. What in the world had she been thinking? Was she really this desperate? How had she let her agent talk her into a blind date? Just because she was on the summer hiatus, did not mean she needed to start a relationship. She was, however, interested in some random hook-ups. That was easier said than done when you were a semi-celebrity. Apparently she was too intimidating for most men in this city. And the ones who weren't intimidated by her were either married or gay. Not that half of those didn't try, but… she had some standards. Rebecca had described this guy as "not easily intimidated" and "complete eye candy". Rachel hoped that translated as "wants to score".

She gave her name to the hostess and followed her to a table. A man with broad shoulders was seated with his back to her. At least he had enough manners to allow her the seat where she could be seen. He had a gorgeous head of dark hair, cut closely to his head. When the hostess approached, he turned slightly and started to stand up. He looked like… NO! It couldn't possibly be.

He stood and offered his hand to her. "Noah Puckerman."

Then he stopped and stared at her. "Rachel? Rachel Berry?"

She had been set up on a blind date with Noah Puckerman. She would never be able to live this down. He would make fun of her all night and then tell everyone in Lima how she was so desperate for a date she had to be set up on a blind date by her agent. The humiliation burned on her cheeks already.

"Rachel?" he asked. "Are you going to sit down?" He was staring at her intently, as if he didn't already know her.

He held her chair out for her and seated her. When he sat down, he looked across the table at her and held her gaze.

"So, Rachel Berry. Is this a small world or what?"

She was startled. He was actually going to continue the date? This was awkward.

"I guess it is a _very_ small world. Noah Puckerman. I never expected to see you again."

He looked slightly offended. "How long have you been in Chicago, Rachel?"

"Just a few months. New York didn't really work out for me. I fired my agent and hired one here. How do you know Rebecca?"

"I found her her apartment. I'm in real estate now. Puckzilla Homes. Sure you haven't heard of me?"

She wrinkled up her nose in distaste at the name, and he laughed. She tilted her head slightly to look at him. Rebecca hadn't been wrong in her description. Why hadn't she gotten a name? Rebecca may have told her he was in real estate and his name was Noah. That was it. And he was Jewish. All those things described Noah Puckerman. And more. He had been hot in high school, but the man in front of her was even hotter. Noah Puckerman had the confidence of a man who knew how to get what he wanted. His eyes were more intense, and focused on her right now. That startled her.

"Look, Noah. We don't have to continue this. It would be awkward to go on a blind date with someone you know. Let's just forget all about this."

He narrowed his gaze. "Hold on a sec, Rachel. I haven't seen you in about ten years. I'd _like_ to see you again and get to know you. Maybe this could be more fun than a real blind date. I'm game, are you?" He said the last part like it was a challenge.

She couldn't say no. He sounded so genuine, so she nodded her head and stayed seated. They continued the date as he ordered a bottle of wine, and it was fantastic. She sipped at it nervously as they talked. After her first glass, she found herself relaxed and having fun chatting away with him as they caught up on each other's lives. This was not the Puck she knew from high school at all… he had grown up. Surprisingly, he had matured into a very interesting man who was proving driven and wildly successful.

Rachel found herself increasingly more comfortable and enjoying herself. As they ate, she filled him in on some of her time in New York, trying not to sound bitter about the events that drove her from there.

"So… you moved to Chicago to be the big fish in a smaller pond?"

That was the Noah Puckerman she remembered. He called 'em like he saw 'em.

"I guess that's one way of looking at it."

"That wasn't a slam, Rachel. You always liked to be the center of attention. Queen Diva, that's what we called you in Glee."

She made a face. That was the least offensive name they called her in Glee Club.

Their food arrived. She had just taken a bite when he said, "I'm in a band, you know."

She nearly choked on her food. Noah was still in a band? That was amazing. She figured nobody else from Glee still did anything with music. She knew Mercedes was a choir director at a big church in Alabama, but that was it. She had to admit, she had not figured Noah to be the one still interested in music.

"I'd love to hear you play sometime." She fumbled on the words after they were already half out of her lips. Did that sound too desperate? This was supposed to be a one-time date. They would never see each other again after tonight.

He smiled at her, "I'd like that. We have a gig on Friday. Are you busy?"

She shook her head, not trusting her voice.

"I'll give you the address before we leave tonight."

They continued dinner and the conversation flowed easily. He even caught her up on his family. His little sister was now a sophomore at Ohio State, majoring in pre-med. His mom still lived in Lima and frequently saw her dads at Jewish functions.

"I'm actually surprised she hasn't mentioned that you're living in Chicago. She always really liked you."

Rachel smiled. Mrs. Puckerman had always made it clear that she liked Rachel.

When dinner was over and Noah had paid the check they stood up to leave, but Rachel was actually a little wobbly. How much had she had to drink? She couldn't remember.

"Wanna go to a piano bar down the street and have a few more drinks?" His beautiful hazel eyes held hers.

She was definitely not going to go. She'd already had too much to drink. Instead she nodded her head in the affirmative.

So they walked a few blocks to the bar, and he even held her hand along the way. When they got there, they had a table pretty far from the music, which was perfect because they could actually continue their conversation.

Sometime after her next drink, she leaned to close to Noah, and brushed against him. The touch sent electrical sparks throughout her body and one of them leaned in for a kiss. She'd like to think it was him, but she wasn't sure. From there they evolved into a full make-out session at the bar. If she had been sober, she would have been mortified, but she was far from sober, and this was Noah Puckerman.

When they came up for air, Puck cocked his head to the side and asked, "Wanna get out of here?"

She nodded. What was with her inability to speak tonight?

He threw some cash on the table and grabbed her hand to lead her out of the bar. When they got to the curb, he hailed a taxi and gave the driver an address without asking her for hers. When she climbed in the backseat, their kissing session continued, complete with roaming hands. Her body felt on fire.

When they arrived at his apartment, Rachel was not so drunk as to not be impressed. It was beautiful. Decorated in a completely modern black with grey and red accents, it oozed masculine good taste. He dragged her to the bedroom and began removing her clothing as quickly as possible, all the while continuing to kiss her.

Rachel could barely think. She couldn't possibly actually sleep with Puck, could she. Just then his hands grazed her nipples, through her bra and she moaned. It had been a really long time since her last human lover, and she definitely could sleep with Puck. He would know just what she needed. Even back in high school, she had heard enough stories to know he was going to be amazing.

Before long she was completely naked and so was he. She let her hands roam his well-muscled body.

"Mmmmmm." She moaned.

He pushed her back against the bed, and she fell with him on top of her. He worked his fingers between her legs and groaned at her wetness.

"My God. You're soaking wet, Rachel."

He continued to kiss her neck and face, working his fingers frantically between her legs. She responded as he found her favorite spots, rhythmically stroking her clit and alternating thrusts inside her as well.

"Noah. Noah. Oh, god, Noah!" She screamed into his ear as he brought her an amazing orgasm, letting her ride it out completely.

"Fuck, Rach. I can't handle much more of this. It'll be better next time, I swear."

He opened a drawer on the nightstand next to the bed and wrapped his cock in a condom. He thrust into her and she melted around him.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." He murmured into her ear. "I really can't last long, Rach. You feel so incredible. I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you, I swear."

Was he teasing her? He'd already given her an orgasm, and now she was writhing against him, and he was sorry?

"Stop moving for a minute." He held her legs still and worked his fingers back to her clit. He rubbed gently and then pressed firmly until she was almost there. Then he began some slow, deep thrusts. Her whole body rose up to meet him.

"More. More." She demanded.

"God, yes. More."

He drove into her frantically and continued the assault on her clit. She crashed into another intense orgasm just as he collapsed on top of her. She could barely breathe, but not because he was on top of her.

"Rachel, give me another chance. I'm so sorry that was so quick."

Seriously, maybe her memory was skewed, but she was pretty sure he had just made her come twice and still lasted longer than all her other lovers. What was he apologizing for?

"For making me feel incredible _twice_? Thank you."

He kissed her as he pulled out. He disposed of the condom and brought her a wash cloth from his bathroom. While she was cleaning up, he grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the kitchen and returned to the bedroom. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him, naked in the doorway. Noah Puckerman was a prime specimen of man to be sure.

He padded softly to the bed and handed her a water bottle.

"I should… I should be going." She stammered nervously.

"Oh, no, you don't. I've got to make it up to you. You're not going anywhere until I make certain you're satisfied."

Uncomfortable and uncertain how to respond, she looked down. He hopped into bed next to her and drew her into his arms.

"I can't believe I'm with Rachel Berry, my high school crush."

Positive he was making fun of her, she shoved his hands away.

"Don't make fun of me after… after… you know."

"Who's making fun? I always had a thing for you, Rach? Why do you think I always wanted to sing with you? Don't you remember how you could always get me to do anything you wanted? I had a crush on you since sophomore year."

She didn't say anything but allowed him to draw her back into his arms. With her thoughts swirling around in her head, she fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Glee Disclaimer: It belongs to Fox. If it were mine, Puck-Lauren would be a non-issue.**

**Mark Salling: You look like... I need you now!**

**Author's Note: WOW! I was pleasantly surprised at the number of alerts & favorites for this story already. Thank you. Please review as well because reviews feed my writer's soul!**

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Rachel rolled over about an hour later and hit a wall of muscle. She pushed back, startled, and then remembered where she was _and_ whom she was with. She tried to scoot back a little, but his arm wrapped around her and pulled her tightly to him.

"What'sa matter, babe? You okay?" he whispered in the darkness.

"Yes. I'm fine. I just didn't remember where I was for a minute." She reached for the water bottle on the nightstand and gulped down the rest of the bottle.

"Lemme refresh your memory, Rach." Puck said, taking the bottle from her and setting it on the nightstand.

With that, he flipped her onto her back and kissed her intently, running his tongue along the inside of her mouth. He toyed with her until she was gasping for air, then he kissed along her neck.

"Seems to me, I owe you for my lack of control earlier." His husky breath feathered over her earlobes and sent shivers down her spine. Somehow his words were both a promise and a threat.

He kissed his way down her naked body, stopping to play with her breasts, licking and swirling over the nipples with his tongue. She pulled him tighter to her, wanting- needing more. His thumb stroked one nipple while his tongue worked the other. When her legs grew restless, he pushed on her thighs and pulled them apart.

"I got this, babe. I can take a hint."

She colored, although he couldn't see it.

"I wasn't-" she broke off. "I didn't mean to-"

She stopped speaking then because he lowered his mouth to kiss the insides of her thighs. He was so close to where she wanted him. She couldn't control the hand that reached out to guide him where she wanted him. He chuckled again and began to stroke her clit with his tongue. His tongue drilled onto her clit, again and again, demanding, forcing the orgasm out of her. When she came down from it, hips rocking still, he pushed a finger into her and began a new assault with the digit.

"No. No. Noah, I need you."

"You've got me, babe. You've got me."

"No, I need more of you. 'S not enough. More."

He brought her hand to his cock to let her stroke his hardness. She gasped as she felt his length and girth. She couldn't believe he'd been inside her already. She'd never had one like this. Never. Not even close.

She licked her lips. "Noah, I'm not sure…"

"I am." He told her.

He grabbed a condom from the nightstand and put it on quickly, then positioned himself at her entrance. She couldn't believe how he was able to get all the way inside her so quickly. She felt every inch of him inside her.

_Fuck, yeah. It was like she was made for him. Her tightness just enveloped him. He had to concentrate not to lose control for the second time tonight. This was fucking crazy. Who lost it the second time in a row? God. She was amazing, just like his dreams about her in high school. _

He pushed her legs up and used them to leverage around his shoulders. Her lips were working his neck, and he was fighting to maintain control. She was panting hard, and urging him on with her tightness, contracting around him again and again. He knew he was close, so he started to reach for her clit, but he felt her orgasm then and the shouting in his ear confirmed it.

"Yes. Yes. Fuck me harder, Puckerman! Yes."

He pounded into her as the orgasm took over her. Her body turned to Jell-o quickly, and he unleashed his own release, grateful not to have to hold back any longer. He fell back against the bed, exhausted and sweaty.

"That was… That was… Rachel, that was so awesome. It was even better than I even dreamed back in high school."

Shit. He'd just said that out loud.

"In high school? You had dreams about me in high school?"

She was sitting up now, looking down at him with narrowed eyes.

"Well, yeah." He answered uncomfortably. "You knew I was totally hot for you in high school."

"No, I did _not_ know that. When were you hot for me?"

"Pretty much since you broke my heart sophomore year."

She couldn't tell if he was teasing or not, so she said nothing and hopped out of bed to use the bathroom. When she returned to the bedroom, she mumbled something about going home and started looking for her clothes.

"Rachel, I am not sending you home at this hour alone, and I don't want to get dressed and go out now. Just stay until morning, and I'll get you home then. I promise to make it worth your while."

She wacked him with the pillow over his suggestive tone during the last sentence, but she admitted that it made more sense. The damage was done, and she would have to deal with the awkward morning stuff now. Oh, well. If he made good on his promise… it would totally be worth the hassle!


	3. Chapter 3

**Glee Disclaimer: They haven't called, wanting me to add some smut to their show, but as soon as HBO buys them out… until then it's all Fox's property. **

**Mark Salling: Too many things I want to do with you could get me arrested!**

**Author's Note: Light bulb. Flash. 3 SOLID ideas for future pieces of this story- some a little different than what you might expect from me. Hope it's okay in the end. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for reviewing, favoriting, and alerting- especially reviewing. I LOVE the feedback. THANKS.**

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Rachel woke up beneath Puck's arm, strewn over her shoulder. She was trying to figure out if she could get past him and get to her stuff, or if she would have to wake him. She was not looking forward to him seeing her naked in the light of day. She just had no idea how to get out of this with as little humiliation as possible. And, she wasn't sure she could actually _walk_ out of here. Her body was sore. She smiled to herself. She was sore in so many places and didn't regret a moment of it.

"Mmmmm… I think I know what that smile's about." Puck leaned down and kissed her quickly.

She flushed red, but didn't say anything.

A phone rang, and she knew it wasn't hers. Puck groaned, and unselfconsciously, jumped out of bed to grab his cell from his pants pocket.

"Puck."

"Jean, why do you need me for this? Isn't that why I hired you?"

The conversation continued, but Rachel filled in the blanks enough to realize that this was a business call, and Noah was needed at work. It was a Wednesday morning, and it made sense that people in the business work had to go to work. For Rachel, work revolved around the weekends, so her schedule was much different from most people. When he walked into the living room to continue the call, she slipped from the bed and dressed quickly.

When Puck returned to the bedroom, he had thrown on a pair of shorts from somewhere else in the apartment, and was looking irritated.

"Rachel, I'm sorry. I'll take you home, but I do have to go into work unexpectedly. I wanted to spend time with you this morning, but it looks like that won't work out. When can I see you again?"

He ran his hand through his hair as he spoke. It was a familiar gesture from the Puck she knew in high school and oddly comforting.

She looked up at him, feeling uncomfortable and awkward all over again.

"Noah, it's okay… you don't have to say that. We had a great time, and- it's enough. I already called a cab. I'll see you around."

She started to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back toward him.

"Wait. What? Were you _there_ last night? 'Cause that kind of chemistry doesn't just happen. We were amazing together, and I don't understand why you don't want more." His voice held more than a trace of irritation.

His eyes held hers. She couldn't look away. Her breath was stuck in her throat.

"Noah… it's not that, but… how do you start dating after a one-night-stand?"

"Who makes up the rules for dating anyway? Cosmo? What's wrong with us doing what works for us? I think we should explore this," he motioned up and down between their bodies, "further."

He kissed her then, and she was glad she'd taken the time to find gum in her purse. Apparently he'd found a way to brush his teeth too. She fell into the kiss, letting his passion fuel hers. When he stopped, she felt the disappointment in the air.

"Much as I'd like to continue to convince you to go on a date with me again, I really do have to get to the office." Then he shot a half smirk, half irritated look at her. "I gotta admit: I don't usually have to do this much convincing for someone to go out with me. You always kept me jumping- even in high school. Guess that's why I always had the thing for you."

She smiled and he walked her to the door. She gave him her number, and they made plans for Thursday.

"Noah, I just feel that I should warn you that last night… was _unusual_ for me. I don't usually sleep with men on the first date, and I don't think you should expect anything like that on Thursday."

He grinned at her, as only Puck could.

"I get it. I bring out the animal in you."

When she laughed, he continued, "Doesn't mean I'm not gonna _try_ to get you back… it might even be better."

He grinned at her as she walked out the door.

She called her friend Val on the way home in the cab.

"You skanky ho- you slept with a blind date!" Val tittered on the line.

"Yes, well, it wasn't exactly _blind._ It was a guy I knew from high school."

"OOOH- FUN! I love reunion sex. Was it the geek turned successful millionaire? The actor everyone assumed was gay? The rebellious minister's son?"

"Well… I guess he was a 'bad boy', kind of. He was a sex shark."

"Rachel Berry with the bad boy? No way! That's _my_ type! I'm coming over. I gotta hear it all!"

Rachel laughed because it was true. Val did love the bad boys. Her last boyfriend… well. Ewwww.

"Don't you have to work?"

"Not until 1:00. We'll go downtown for lunch."

Rachel went home and showered. Her head was still pounding and her body was still very sore. No matter how long she let the warm spray pound on her back and legs, it wasn't enough. She would probably need to soak later. She consumed three bottles of water before she met Val for lunch, and she still didn't feel very well.

Val was already at the table when she got there.

"Rachel, this is not good. You're positively glowing."

"Hello? Sex. Which I haven't had in a VERY long time! Of course, I'm going to look better."

"And whose fault is that? I tried to get you to be less 'discriminating'! It's not good for a woman to go without sex for that long! You were positively bitchy. THIS will be a huge improvement."

Rachel laughed and filled Val in on the date. She wasn't feeling great so she stuck to water, but the aroma of Val's wine, along with the food smells in the restaurant were doing nothing to help her rumbling tummy.

"Are you completely hung-over or what?" inquired Val.

"I guess I am. I knew I had drunk too much, but I didn't think it was this bad. It makes sense why I'd sleep with Noah so suddenly."

"Berry, if that's all it would take, I'd have gotten you drunk a lot more often."

Val laughed. Their food arrived, and Rachel tried to take small bites and chew slowly as she related the story of her evening with Noah.

"So the bad boy became the successful businessman? Incredible. Do you know how hot that is? It almost never happens!"

Rachel nodded then added, "And he's in some sort of band."

Val let out a soft screech. "YES! If you don't stick with him, can I have him?"

Rachel sent her friend a glare, because the truth was, Val was only half kidding. Noah was exactly her type, and the idea of Val dating him was very upsetting. Val was everyone's dream girl. She had gorgeous blond hair, always styled differently and sometimes with other colors. She was tall, with long legs and perfect, naturally tan skin. Her blue eyes were gorgeous and sparkly. Now that she thought about it, Rachel realized that Val looked a lot like a more beautiful Quinn Febray- Noah's dream girl from high school. The idea was even more unsettling.

"Check him out!" Val whispered, indicating a new arrival to the restaurant.

Rachel looked up and saw a tall man with broad shoulders and an air of confidence. He pulled out the chair for the woman with him- a sexy redhead. He was hot- and looked a lot like- the thought hadn't even completely formed, when their eyes connected.

What the hell? Noah was supposed to be at work! Here he was on a lunch date!

Noah's face creased into a smile and he stepped across the room to greet her.

"Rachel! What a pleasant surprise! How is it you've been in the city this long without running into you, and now I see you twice in two days!"

Rachel couldn't say a word. His audacity was deplorable! Did he think he could play her while on a date with another woman? She couldn't even speak. He frowned when she just kept staring at him, without saying anything.

"Rachel?"

Val came to her rescue then. "Hi. I'm Val, Rachel's friend and hair stylist. You must be…"

"Noah Puckerman. Nice to meet you, Val."

"Puckzilla Homes? WOW! I've seen your ads everywhere." Val gushed and when Rachel glared at her, she continued, "So, whose your friend?"

"Oh, this is Jean, a realtor of mine. She started working for me a few months ago. As the business has grown, we needed to expand so I can still have some play time. Speaking of… we still on for tomorrow night?"

Val and Rachel both noticed the way Jean's eyes narrowed at her as he spoke. For Noah, it might be a business relationship, but the ladies suspected Jean wanted a whole lot more.

"Yes." Val said. When both Noah and Rachel turned to her in surprise, she flushed. "Sorry."

Rachel smiled, relieved that Noah wasn't on a date, working another one.

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Just don't get my girl drunk again. She's still hung-over!"

Noah smirked at her. "Sorry, Rach. I didn't realize how much you had drunk until it was too late. You're a small person, your tolerance can't be very good."

"I'm fine."

He leaned closer to her to whisper in her ear, "You walking any better?"

She blushed pink and nodded. She had thought he hadn't noticed.

He smiled at her, kissed her on the cheek and started back to his own table.

"I'll let you girls get back to it. Jean and I have work to do anyway. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Jean looks like she'd like to wipe you off the bottom of her shoe!" Val commented.

"I think she has a little crush on the boss." Rachel observed.

"Rachel, be careful. I've met a lot of girls like Jean. They'll do anything to get what they want. Noah might be oblivious, but you're not. Watch her."

They paid their bill and strolled out of the restaurant with a wave to Noah.

"How could you leave out that you were dating Puckzilla?" Val hissed on the sidewalk.

Rachel giggled at the nickname. "I didn't know I was."

Val pointed to a bus going by. It had Noah's picture on the side with the name of the business "Puckzilla Homes" and the slogan, "The biggest and the best!". Rachel giggled at the slogan, thinking how true it was. If Puck's face had been on the side of a bus in Chicago, how had she not noticed it? Sometimes Fate had a twisted sense of humor.

"Since you can barely walk, I'm assuming his slogan is _fitting_?" Val wondered aloud.

Rachel nodded. That was all Val was getting from her for now.

"You can try to hold out on the steamy details, but I will get you drunk, and then you'll spill!"

Rachel nodded again, knowing her friend was right.


	4. Chapter 4

**Glee Disclaimer: The storylines of Glee and its characters belong to Fox. Ryan Murphy is the genius who started it all and the bastard that killed Puckleberry. He and I have a love-hate relationship.**

**Mark Salling: We have no relationship except for the one that exists within my own mind. And it's mostly sexual. Who am I kidding? It's completely sexual.**

**Author's Note: I'm SO appreciative of the positive feedback for the direction the story is taking. Thank you to the reviewers who offered an opinion. THANK YOU! I also appreciate the alerts and favorites. Keep reading and let me know what you think.**

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Rebecca called to update her on a few events she had to attend and ask her about the date.

"Did you know that Noah and I knew each other?"

"What? That's crazy. How do you know each other?"

"We're from the same town. Lima, Ohio. It's not that big. You should have warned me."

"Darling, how would I remember something like that? I just know that you're from Podunk, USA. Not much else matters. Is he not EVERYTHING I told you he would be and MORE? He's a prime specimen. You know it, and I know it. You can thank me later. I've got to run."

Rachel stared at the phone, unsure if she'd just been snowed. Rebecca always knew the details; that's what made her a good agent. How did she miss this?

Thursday evening, Rachel pulled off another outfit and groaned in frustration. She had no idea what to wear. She didn't want to look like she put too much thought into this date, but she didn't want to look like a slob either. This was difficult. Finally, she decided that a skirt could be both dressy and casual, so she put one on, and finished her hair and make-up. Val had wanted to do her hair, but she didn't really have the time, so Rachel blew her off and kept it straight and natural looking.

When Noah arrived at the door, he greeted her with a full body scrutiny- eyes up, eyes down, eyes back up and a smile. He kissed her cheek. She held in the breath she had sucked in at the sight of him. The man was too hot for words. Sexiness just oozed from him like a cream-filled donut. She was afraid if her mouth opened, a little bit of drool would drip out of the corner of it.

When she swallowed, she asked where they were going. He said he planned to go to Shedd Aquarium, but if she didn't want to go, that was okay. She had actually not been there since moving to the city, so she was interested in going. They decided to get a bite to eat first and then head to the aquarium. If they timed it right, they could hit the dolphin show.

Rachel enjoyed the conversation at dinner. It was nothing fancy, she just got a salad, and he was eating a sandwich, but that was okay with her. She'd had her fair share of dates that tried so hard to impress… they were obviously unimpressive. Noah kept her laughing about his experiences that day. He knows what he's doing with the real estate thing and feels his strength is reading people early and often. That doesn't mean he doesn't occasionally get surprises or bizarre requests from people. He's learned that people are way too quick to share things from their private lives- except financial things that they SHOULD be sharing with their realtor. It kept her laughing throughout dinner.

Although he wanted to keep her comfortable, he was clearly trying to get to know her too. He asked questions about her upcoming events and shows, wondering how long she had off for now. Rachel is going to be cohost of a Chicago morning show called Chi-town Chit Chat. Seriously, that's the name of it. They have been filming commercials to advertise the new show, and she's had to go to events to promote it, but she's had more time off than she will have… ever again. She has decided to give up Broadway for this opportunity, so she hopes it will fly. It's a big deal. She's nervous about it, and tells him so. He seemed surprised that she took a job without music, but she told him that she will have at least one musical performance a week on the show.

"What happens if you don't like it?" he asked.

She smiled at him, grateful that he phrased it that way instead of asking what happened if she, or the show, flopped.

"I guess I'll have to go back to the theater here or in New York."

He nodded but didn't say anything else.

After dinner, they went to the aquarium. Parking was a nightmare, and they ended up pretty far. He looked at her heels doubtfully, not sure if it was too much to ask, but she assured him she was more than capable.

At the aquarium, Rachel had a better time than she's had in a long time. She loved the dolphin show and was impressed with Noah's enthusiasm for something so simple. He held her hand as they walked, the gesture was sweet and endearing- reminding her of the kids they were in high school. When they'd been throughout the aquarium enough, they decided to go back to her place for a glass of wine.

"Just a glass of wine, Noah." Rachel informed him at his smirk.

The smirk didn't change, but he nodded and winked at her. "If you think you can keep your hands off me."

She didn't smile because she was a little worried about it herself. What if she couldn't?

When they returned to her place, he asked her where she got the apartment.

"I'm actually just subletting from a friend who is in Europe doing a show. I didn't find anything permanent yet."

He nodded and sat down on the couch. He sat in the middle of the couch, so she had no choice but to squeeze in next to him. She tried to move her leg away from his thigh, but there was nowhere to go. She strongly suspected that he did it on purpose when she noticed the ghost of a smile hitting his lips.

Rachel decided then and there that two can play at this game. She leaned toward him, putting her hand on his arm, giving him just too much of a glimpse of cleavage.

"I had a great time-" she said in her sultry voice. She specifically didn't say "tonight" so he could wonder if she meant tonight or… the other time they were together.

"I did too." He answered, licking his lips.

She knows where his mind has gone, but she has promised herself to have willpower and NOT jump back into bed with this man. She turns the tv on and they settle on a PPV movie from HBO. She knows the story premise and thinks there will be nudity. She chose it on purpose to tease him further. Her thigh was wedged next to his, and she leaned her head on his shoulder so that her breath occasionally whispered over the sensitive skin on his neck. He shivered slightly, just once, but it was enough to let her know that she was having some effect on him.

For his part, Puck was in freaking hell. Her body was too close and he remembered too well how amazing she was, how responsive. He wanted nothing more than to lift her skirt and put her right on top of him. His dick couldn't seem to keep itself in control, and he felt like a freaking teenager for the first time in years. She knew what she was doing to him too. He was sure of it when he saw her lips twitch after she blew on his neck, up by his ear.

"More wine, Rach?" he asked, not waiting for her answer before he refilled her glass.

She pursed her lips together, not trusting herself to drink too much.

"Not too much. I do have an interview in the morning. I can't be hung-over again."

He nodded but knew that two glasses of wine weren't going to be too much. He was just hoping she loosened up a little. It had been a long time since he'd had to resort to such a juvenile mood as this, but… desperate times and all.

"I saw your face on a bus the other day." She told him casually.

"Actually, that was Rebecca's idea. She told me I needed to sell myself as the man behind the business. She was right. We did a few ads on a couple of buses, and it's brought in so much business I've had to nearly double my staff."

Rachel frowned, thinking that was exactly how Jean got hired.

"How's that working out?" she asked casually.

He made a slight face of frustration but kept his answer neutral, "We're still working out the kinks. Apparently, I'm a control freak and like things my way. Some of my new staff are trying to run the ship their own way. As soon as they accept that it's only ever going to be my way, it will be great."

Rachel wondered who the staff were who wanted things their way. She didn't ask, figuring it was none of her business. It was intriguing though, that a person could meet Noah and not realize that he wanted to be in control. There were some really stupid people out there.

They sipped their wine and watched the movie casually. Rachel ran her fingers up and down Noah's thigh, not intentionally teasing, just wanting to touch him. He noticed. His lips were drawn into a tight line, but she kept at it.

"I can't handle it anymore." He said.

Then he turned to her and pressed her back against the couch. "If I'm going to suffer, so are you."

He lowered his mouth to hers in a deep, passionate kiss. His mouth found hers and ran his tongue along her own. His mouth pressed firmly against hers, demanding more, expecting her response. When she whimpered against him, he knew he'd gotten his point across.

He just kissed her. He didn't run his hands along her body or press his fingers up the inside of her skirt. He kissed her and continued to kiss her for what seemed like hours. When he finally came up for air, the movie was done, and the previews for the next one were rolling.

"I know you have an interview tomorrow, so I'll leave you now. I played by your rules on this date, Rach. Just keep in mind that I will stay within your boundaries, but you have to as well. If you tease me, I'll tease you."

Rachel nodded. Her lips were swollen and very little make-up was left on her face. Her hair was a disheveled mess, and she felt like a teenager, unsure of what to do next.

"Are you still coming to see my band tomorrow night?" he asked, as he walked to the door.

She looked up in surprise, having forgotten about that from their first date.

"Here's the address. Bring Val. I think our drummer would really like to meet her- unless she's seeing someone."

Rachel shook her head no and took the business card with Noah's contact info. on one side and the address of the gig on the other.

"Wear jeans. It's a blue-collar bar. Nothing fancy will fit in."

She smiled. Those dive bars were her favorites. She'd always loved them.

"Thank you, Noah. I had a nice time tonight." She told him.

He dipped his head for a kiss goodbye.

"I could have made it a better date, and we both know it. I say we go back to NOT following the rules as soon as possible."

She smiled but didn't commit to anything. She didn't really trust herself to respond right now with her hormones raging. What the hell had she been thinking? Why would she say no to that? Her eyes swept his muscular, perfect body.

He must have noticed her assessment. He stopped and looked at her.

"I can still stay if you want?"

She shook her head and closed the door on him, wondering as she did why, exactly, she felt the need to say no to him. Her whole body was screaming its protest.


	5. Chapter 5

**Glee Disclaimer: Glee belongs to FOX and Ryan Murphy. Although they're getting it half-right with more Mark Salling, I'd be getting it all right with Puckleberry ruling the show.**

**Mark Salling: Ummm… you make me "feel happy" in all the right places. I may enjoy looking at you a little too much. I hope I don't go blind.**

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the long interval. I had a family emergency that took up most of my time. I plan to update again soon. THANKS to my wonderful reviewers. Hope you enjoy this installment.**

****************** Story will start. **************************

The music that greeted her when she stepped out of Val's car was not what she had expected at all.

'Noah sings country?' she thought. She was surprised.

In high school he'd been a classic rock/heavy metal guy. This music was definitely not what she'd anticipated. She smoothed down her tank top and took a deep breath.

Val and Rachel pushed their way through the door of the bar and looked around. It was a busy place, and they were excited to be able to unwind and blow off a little steam. Val was looking forward to meeting the drummer. In all of her experiences, she'd never really dated a real musician before and was eager to cross it off her list.

Rachel's eyes swept the room. She found a table to the side, and quickly honed in on it. Then she looked up to watch Noah sing. He hadn't noticed her yet, so she could really take it all in.

Noah's band was singing a Big and Rich song, "Save a Horse". She laughed because it was just a silly song. Noah did have a beautiful voice though, and it made her tummy do flip-flops as he sang.

The waitress took their order. Rachel had tried to be a beer girl, but she just didn't have it in her. Val knew that if they were going out, it was probably going to be a margarita night. They ordered them and sipped away. Val's head was bopping with the beat of the music. By the third song, they had ordered another round of drinks and were ready to dance.

She felt his eyes on her as soon as she hit the floor. It was _almost_ difficult not to miss a step. Thank goodness she had trained for most of her life. At least she could explain the redness creeping up her face on the margarita. When the song ended, she wasn't sure what to do, but the band went straight into Kid Rock's "All Summer Long"- a song made for dancing. When that song ended, the notes switched to the quiet, slow melody of a song for couples. Rachel and Val returned to their margaritas and sipped, watching the band sing. Rachel felt like Noah's eyes never left her as he sang.

"I don't know this song, do you?"

"Yes, but it's an old one. It was in a movie, "The Prince and Me".

"Figures," mumbled Val. It always amazed and infuriated her that Rachel knew about almost every song ever made as well as the movies they were in.

Rachel kept her eyes on Noah as he sang. His voice was amazing, and she felt the stirrings inside her again. Her cheeks puffed out, and she tried to take a deep breath.

"You're so gonna jump his bones, aren't you?" laughed Val.

Rachel colored. "What? No." She flushed unconvincingly.

"Why not? Look at him. The man smolders. Mmmmmm. I could eat him up."

Rachel glared at her.

Val laughed. "Kidding. Geesh. When do I get to meet the drummer?"

Rachel didn't actually know so she shrugged and turned back to listen to Noah sing.

Tom Waits "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You"

Well I hope that I don't fall in love with you  
'Cause falling in love just makes me blue,  
Well the music plays and you display your heart for me to see,  
I had a beer and now I hear you calling out for me  
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you.

Well the room is crowded, people everywhere  
And I wonder, should I offer you a chair?  
Well if you sit down with this old clown, take that frown and break it,  
Before the evening's gone away, I think that we could make it,  
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you.

Well the night does funny things inside a man  
These old tom-cat feelings you don't understand,  
Well I turn around to look at you, you light a cigarette,  
I wish I had the guts to bum one, but we've never met,  
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you.

I can see that you are lonesome just like me, and it being late,  
You'd like some some company,  
Well I turn around to look at you, and you look back at me,  
The guy you're with has up and split, the chair next to you's free,  
And I hope that you don't fall in love with me.

Now it's closing time, the music's fading out  
Last call for drinks, I'll have another stout.  
Well I turn around to look at you, you're nowhere to be found,  
I search the place for your lost face, guess I'll have another round  
And I think that I just fell in love with you.

Val ordered them another round of drinks when the waitress walked by, and Rachel started to protest but looked down to see that her drink was, indeed, gone. She was going to have to slow down, or she'd never be able to last all night. It was warm in here though. She was glad she'd worn a tank top.

The band announced a short break, and Noah made a beeline for her, the drummer in tow. He made quick introductions between Val and Antonio, then grabbed Rachel by the wrist and brought her to the backroom, where the empty beer bottles were stored.

He kissed her feverishly.

"Jesus, you look hot tonight."

She fell against him, trying not to writhe as her body screamed for more from him.

"I'd nearly forgotten what an amazing singer you were! I LOVE your voice!"

He smiled and whispered thanks against her lips as he worked the side of her neck with his mouth. Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed up against him. When she could take it no longer, she tugged at the snap of his jeans.

"Uh, Rach, we don't really have that much time…"

She grinned wickedly and licked her lips. "I just want to give you a little _taste_ of later."

With a firm tug, she undid his fly and bent at the waist. He leaned against some crates as she reached into his pants and pulled out his length. Making brief eye contact with him, she swirled her tongue around the tip and sucked him in deep, letting him slide along the back of her throat.

"Oh. God. Rachel. Stop. Holy. Shit. I'm…" Puck gasped and his head snapped back in sheer ecstasy.

Rachel's mouth swirled round and round, sucking him deep against the back of her throat. Just then there was knocking at the door.

"… Minute." Puck ground out.

"Puckerman, it's time. Let's go." returned the voice from the other side.

"Shit. Shit. Shit."

Rachel flipped her hair out of the way and straightened up. She smirked at him as he thought of frozen vegetables in an attempt to regain control.

"I guess we'll have to do that again sometime."

Puck pulled her to him as he did up his jeans. "Damn right we will. Like at 12:30 when I'm done. Fuck. Now I have to watch you the rest of the night knowing what you can do with that talented mouth of yours…"

She smiled at him, and reapplied her lipstick. "At least you'll have the memory of it to get you through the night."

He laughed at her. He walked out of the room first, and she stayed back a few minutes to regain her composure. The interlude had left her wanting more than she thought she would. When she walked back to the table, the band was already playing again and Val was sipping her drink with a flirty grin on her face.

"I take it you liked Antonio?"

"What's not to like about Antonio? We're going out for drinks after the show so I'm dumping you to Puck- that's what he calls him. Okay?"

Rachel nodded. There was no way she was NOT going home with Noah after the session they'd just had on break.

Rachel and Val danced more, and she was glad that she burning off some of the alcohol from her drinks. She needed to. Her buzz was wearing off a little, and she needed to regain composure. Noah, apparently, had other plans. The waitress dropped off two shots for the ladies.

"Courtesy of Puck." She offered as she dropped them at their table.

Rachel smiled. She and Val toasted the band as they downed their shots and Puck nodded as he sang. By the end of the night, she felt his voice vibrate through her as he sang. She felt like it had been four hours of foreplay for her, her body was so sensitive and anticipating. When the band finally called it quits, she and Val were definitely feeling no pain.

"I've just got to pack up and we can head out. Antonio said he and Val are going out for drinks. Did you want to go somewhere?"

She looked at him, surprised, "I thought we were going back to your place." Her voice sounded uncertain.

Puck grinned at her. "Good. I didn't want to push it, but I did want that."

After he helped load up the equipment and introduced her to the rest of the band, he shoved her into his car and beelined for his place. She slid out of her seat, running her hands along his thighs, and kissing the side of his neck the whole way.

"Babe, not to complain, but you're gonna cause an accident. Please stop for just a few minutes so I don't kill us on the way home."

Rachel loved knowing she had that kind of power over him. Being in control over the sex shark she'd known from high school was a major turn-on. It was even hotter because Noah the man was also a great guy- successful, gorgeous, toned, and musically gifted. Combine those things with being Jewish, and he was her dream guy. She shook her head to get rid of the thought. It was way too soon to be thinking things like that.

"What are you shaking your head no to?" he asked.

"I'm just wondering if we're jumping into this too fast again."

Puck sighed. "Rachel, you act like there's some rule book we need to follow. Can't we just do what's right for us? Why do we have to do what's right for someone else? I admit that this is fast, but it's not like we just met. We've known each other for years, and we're getting to know each other." His voice lowered to its sexy timbre. "And I like getting to know you better. There are a few parts I just can't get enough of."

He ran the hand he'd had on her knee, up to her thigh and squeezed gently. She shivered in response. No wonder this man was a sales God. His words had her dropping her panties at every turn.

He swung into a parking garage next to his building. After helping her out of the car, he grabbed her hand and walked her to the building. He greeted the night security guard warmly, and they took the elevator up and unlocked the door. On the elevator ride, he pulled her to him for a scorching kiss. He kicked the door shut behind them.

Against the door he started ripping off her top as he kissed her. Her hands frantically stroked his body as he let his tongue tease hers. She had pulled his shirt apart so hard, at least one button had torn off. Although she knew it, she couldn't stop herself from getting to his guns. As he grabbed her bra and threw it to the floor, he kicked his shoes off. With a swift movement, he started toward the hallway, rotating her and swiping at her breasts with his fingers as he went. When she reached out to stroke him through his jeans, he shoved them down right there and stepped out of his socks.

"Mmmmm…" she let out, sizing up the man in front of her.

He helped her out of her jeans as well, since she'd already dropped her shoes by the door. When they were off, he pushed her to the couch, it was much closer than the bedroom. Placing her hands on the back of the couch, leaving her facing it, he leaned over her from behind and unwrapped the condom he'd grabbed from his jeans pocket while removing them. He sat on the coffee table and used his free hand to swipe her slit. She was wet and ready. There was no way in hell he could stop himself from bending over to run a tongue up her. When she whimpered, he drove himself into her from behind. He put his hands over hers and pushed all the way in, then pulled out, then slammed back into her. When she started mewling, he stood all the way up and pounded in and out of her in a breakneck pace, frantically striving for the golden moment. They shattered together, finding the magic rhythm that worked for them. She screamed out, glorifying him in her ecstasy.

He pulled out, threw the condom in a tissue and collapsed on the couch, pulling her into his lap.

"Damn, Rach. You're amazing."

"Ummm. Hum. Shem." She garbled out, unable to manage intelligible conversation yet.

"Let me get you a water and clean up."

He grabbed her by the hand and sent her to the bedroom and told her where to get a washcloth in the bathroom while he got them some bottles of water. He lied next to her for a few minutes to recuperate, and then announced he needed a shower.

Rachel lied back in his bed and marveled at what had just happened. Her body was like Jell-o, yet she was already counting the minutes until they could do it again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Glee Disclaimer: You gotta respect the people behind it, and it's not me. Kudos to the creators of GLEE. **

**Mark Salling: The voice is as sexy as the eyes… and that's saying something!**

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the alerts, favorites, and reviews. Though this hasn't generated a lot of reviews, I do appreciate your feedback. When you let me know what works… it helps guide me with what to keep doing. So… if you like something, let me know! THANK YOU!**

************** Story will start. *******************************

Rachel lied back on the bed, listening to Noah in the shower. It was a form of torture- to think about his naked body in there, the water hitting him… and where his hands would be. Shudder.

"_Ugh. Get ahold of yourself, Rachel!_" she mentally chastised herself.

She really wanted to join him in the shower, but that was way too intimate. They weren't ready for bathroom togetherness- that would be awkward. But, she told herself, she was completely ready for shower sex. Fisting her hands around the sheet, she grabbed it around her body. She managed to keep herself out of the bathroom long enough to hear the water shut off and Noah emerge a short time later.

When he emerged from the steamy doorway wearing nothing but a towel, the water droplets still sluicing down his body in places, it was straight out of an erotic romance novel- if she were the type to have ever read one. She had to remind herself to close her mouth and blink. Seriously. He was that amazing.

"Babe, I feel so much better. I'm going to get something to eat. Want something?"

_Was he looking at her again? Oh, he'd spoken. What had he said?_

"Ummm… actually I could use a shower myself." A cold one.

"Rachel, why didn't you say so? We could have showered together and saved water. It's earth-friendly you know. Plus," he lowered his voice a little as he reached out to pull her to him, "it would have been a lot more fun."

She gasped a little just before his lips found hers. She stumbled toward the bathroom, trying to regain her composure.

"Oh, Rach, wait. Let me get you some girly shampoo. I use the guy stuff you probably wouldn't like."

_What the…? He kept shampoo around his apartment just for women who spend the night? What kind of gigolo was she dating? Rachel's back went straight and she mentally planned the end of their relationship right now. There was no way she was going to date a man-whore. It was bad enough he'd been one in high school, but to continue that lifestyle as an adult was inexcusable. She made her way into the bathroom and berated herself for her naivety. It was ridiculous that she had thought he had changed that much. It was ridiculous that she was sleeping with a man she knew so little about. It was ridiculous to take a shower here. She should just head home now and use her own shower._

As her thoughts continued to jumble around in her head, she heard a knock at the bathroom door. She tightened the sheet around her, and went to the door. It was amazing how much easier it was to breathe now.

"Oh, bummer. I was hoping to at least catch you naked," Noah smiled at her. "I brought you some shampoo and conditioner I keep in the guest bathroom for my mom and sister. I figured you'd rather use that stuff. Go ahead and leave it here though. I'm hoping you'll need to shower here a lot."

_What? His mom and sister? _She hadn't thought of that. It made sense. They would want to visit and stay for the weekend periodically. She accepted the beauty products, and he showed her where the towels and other things were.

When she got out of the shower, he'd already eaten and dragged her back to the bedroom so they could have "clean sex" this time. In the morning, she rushed out because she had several promotional "opportunities" planned for the weekend. This summer was going to be all about promoting the show and preparing several clips for the first few episodes, and it promised to be busy. Although it was barely May, it was starting.

Noah whined a little when she left. "We never get to have morning sex. What's up with that? Now I'm just building it up in my mind, and it's going to rock."

Rachel giggled and kissed him. "Sorry. I'm sure it's going to be amazing, but this is just the start of it for me. I've got a lot to do if I'm going to make this show work. I think I have promotional stuff planned for every weekend in June and intermittently throughout May. I might not be much fun to date."

"If you're going to be that busy, we should totally take a vacation before you start up. Let's go on a long weekend."

She smiled at him, thinking he was joking.

"No, I'm serious. Where do you want to go? Florida? Vegas?"

"Noah, we are barely dating. We can't just go on vacation together."

He sighed. "Rachel, I think you read too much COSMO. Let's just go for a long weekend. Surely that's allowed for two adults."

She shook her head at him. "I don't even know my schedule yet, Noah. Can't we just date for a while?"

He grinned back at her. "I'll take care of it. Let's go to lunch on Monday. Come by my office. I'll text you the address later. Plan on lunch and we'll discuss the weekend thing."

He was not an easy man to say no to. "Okay," she whispered, as she slid out the door.

************* Monday **************************************

Rachel pushed through the glass door of Puckzilla Homes and went up to the pretty receptionist up front.

"Hi, I'm Rachel Berry. I'm here to see Noah Puckerman." She informed the young woman.

"Please have a seat, and I'll let Puck know you're here."

As she sat, she noticed Jean coming through the door.

"Hello," she greeted the woman.

"Hi. You're here for the Monday lunch thing?"

Rachel wrinkled her brow. _What Monday lunch thing?_

"I guess so. I'm meeting Noah for lunch."

Jean rolled her eyes. "Of course. Every Monday. Hope you like the flowers."

Rachel's brow furrowed. _What was that woman talking about? What flowers? Every Monday?_

Noah came out to greet her then, with a vase of flowers in his hand.

"Hey, Rach. Thanks for meeting me here. It made it a lot easier for me. Are you ready to go? These are for you."

He handed her the flowers. When she didn't smile in response, he looked at her more closely.

"What's wrong? Don't you like lilies? I'm sorry. I just thought they looked pretty. I don't really know much about flowers."

"No, they're lovely. Really." Rachel returned unconvincingly. Jean had really shaken her.

They set off for a nice lunch, and enjoyed themselves. Rachel had never been to the restaurant Noah had chosen, so it was a nice treat. They talked for a long time, and once again, she found herself quite impressed with Noah Puckerman. When pressed, she admitted to him how surprised she was that he had changed so much.

"I guess you just expected nothing from me, so there was nowhere to go but up."

She couldn't argue that, but she felt disloyal agreeing with his assessment, so she turned it around a little.

"It's just that I knew you had not had an easy life, and I wouldn't have been surprised to find you less ambitious than you are."

He smiled. "It's because of my life that I am so ambitious. I never want my family to struggle the way my mom had to. When I got to college, I got serious. You haven't met my partner yet, but you will. Mark wants to meet you. He's the keen business sense behind Puckzilla Homes. I'm really just the salesman. We were roommates in college, and just really clicked. You'll love him. He and his wife are expecting their third child soon."

Shortly after that, he brought up his idea of going away for a long weekend.

"I checked your schedule with Rebecca and you're clear next weekend. I can make myself clear. Let's go to Vegas."

"Vegas?" She nearly choked on her wine.

"You don't like Vegas? Okay, we can do Florida. I just thought it'd be nice to get some sun. I'm not fussy where we go."

"I'm just not sure we're ready for this."

He grinned at her. "I'm not asking you to change your zip code- just go away for a long weekend. We can even get separate rooms if you want."

She leveled a gaze at him. He laughed.

"Okay, so I'd really negotiate that part, but… I think it would be fun. If you're going to be as busy as you think you are this summer, you need a little break to kick things off. Let's go away for the weekend. Please."

Sadly, she couldn't seem to say no to the man, so she found herself agreeing to it.

After lunch, he asked her to come back to the office so they could finalize some plans, like the hotel. She departed his office in a lighthearted mood, convinced that he was right and this little break could be incredible for them both. That feeling was short-lived however, when she heard Jean call out to her as she opened the door to leave.

"Goodbye, Rochelle."

"It's Rachel." She corrected politely.

"Like it matters," Jean returned, not quite under her breath.

**************** Wednesday night. ***************************

Wednesday night they met Antonio and Val for drinks and a show. Rachel had never seen Val act quite like this, and it amused her to no end.

"Why, Val," she teased when they had gone to the restroom after the show. "I do believe you're smitten."

"Look who's talking?" Val returned.

"Seriously, Val, you haven't even bragged about his sexual prowess. I've never seen you so into a guy… and NOT boasting about his feats continually."

"That's because I haven't slept with him yet, so I wouldn't know."

Rachel's mouth dropped and she sought Val's eyes in the mirror, sure she would see the hint of mirth at the joke.

"What?" Val accused. "I can't say no? I just think this one is special, different."

Rachel immediately looked down. Val was waiting to sleep with Antonio, and she, the conservative one, had hopped into bed with Noah on the first date. _Oh, no, what had she done?_

Noah seemed to sense that she was rattled as soon as they returned from the bathroom. They had decided to go to a bar for drinks and music and he held her hand as they walked. When they got settled in a booth with drinks, he tried to whisper to her, but she shrugged him off and continued the polite prattle the four of them had fallen into. When the DJ put "Unchained Melody" on, he pulled her onto the dance floor so he could hold her in his arms and dance. When she still insisted there was nothing wrong, he just sang along to the song, in her ear. It calmed her like nothing else could. They did seem to fit together well. The rest… sleeping together too early, Jean, her hectic schedule… it would just work itself out.

He noticed she seemed better, but he didn't push it. When Antonio and Val left, they stayed for a few more dances and then left. She told him she needed to get a good night's rest since she had an early appointment, and he didn't argue. He was aware that she was still unsure if their relationship was based too much on the physical aspects. Much as he thought it WASN'T based ENOUGH on the physical, he knew not to push her too much.

Instead, he thanked her and made arrangements to pick her up Friday morning for their flight.

Rachel went home and tossed and turned in her bed, sleepless. Her body felt like it was on fire, remembering dancing with Noah. She needed more, and it had been a hasty, foolish decision not to seize the opportunity. In Vegas, she was going to let loose. It was a plan.

******************* Author's Note: questions? *****************

So, I'm considering writing most of the next chapter from Puck's point of view. I'm also wondering how far a girl like Jean would take things? How Bitchy should she be?

And… is it time for Mama Puckerman to learn about this relationship?


	7. Chapter 7

**Glee Disclaimer: It's not something I own, just something I toy around with for fun! Ryan Murphy- he's gifted.**

**Mark Salling: He's my first real celebrity crush, but I want to go on record as saying I only stalk him in my mind.**

**Author's Note: Thank you, dear readers, for letting me know what you wanted. Mama P is not coming… yet! This chapter is Puck's POV. There WILL be smut. Vegas is going to trickle over into real life. Jean will- I guess there have to be SOME surprises!**

**Thanks for the reviews, favorites, alerts- did I mention how much I appreciate the REVIEWS?**

******************** Story will start. ****************************

Puck went to the apartment door to pick up Rachel on Thursday morning. The cab waited downstairs while he grabbed her bags. He stopped himself from commenting on the need for 3 bags for 4 days because he was not about to start the trip on a sour note.

"Babe," he greeted her with a quick kiss and swung one bag over his shoulder while he grabbed the others. "Ready?"

"I am."

She smiled at him. He could tell she still thought it was a little rushed, but he was glad she'd agreed to go. If ever a person needed some relaxation in her life, it was Rachel Berry. The girl needed chill time.

On the way to the airport, Puck's phone rang.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Work."

Rachel immediately wondered who would be calling him on his vacation. Her suspicions were confirmed with his next words.

"Jean, if you can't handle something like this, explain to me why I need you on staff. This is EXACTLY why I hired you- so I could have more free time. If you can't do this, we need to talk."

His voice rose a little as the discussion became heated. Finally, he ended the conversation with, "I am NOT delaying my weekend with Rachel to deal with YOUR problem. You can handle it."

Rachel said nothing at his look of annoyance. She just squeezed his knee supportively.

They had an uneventful rest of their trip to the airport and checked in doing the waiting game as the rest of the world went through security and checked luggage too. Puck was not a patient traveler, but he was trying to stay calm and cool for Rachel. When they settled into their seats, he looked over at her and squeezed her hand again.

"How do you feel about joining the mile-high club this morning?" he questioned.

At her horrified expression, he chuckled. "Just kidding."

She smoothed her face over and responded, "I know."

"You didn't know."

"I hoped."

They chatted a little while on the plane, then they listened to their IPODS and settled in. By the time the plane landed, they were a little tired, but eager to begin vacation time. Rachel appreciated that he valued their time together enough not to want to delay the trip when work problems arose.

Puck had arranged for a rental car and drove them to the airport. He'd brought his own GPS so they would know where they were going.

"What are you up for today, sweetheart?"

"I thought we could spend some time by the pool. I'd love to start working on my tan."

Though they hadn't seen each other in a few days, they had talked about the trip via email. Puck had wanted to make sure they did the things Rachel wanted and stayed somewhere she would like. Puck had been to Vegas a lot for business conventions and a few bachelor parties, but this was his first time coming with a girl, and he wanted it to rock.

He checked them into the hotel while she glanced around approvingly. He breathed out a little, glad to have made her happy. They made their way to the room and unpacked their stuff quickly. While Rachel moved her stuff to where she wanted it, he ran to a nearby Walgreens to get them some drinks and condoms. Seriously, he had forgotten to pack condoms. What the hell? He was trying so hard to make this weekend NOT all about the sex; it was nearly killing him.

When he returned to the room, she was in the bathroom.

"Get your suit on. I'm all ready to head to the pool," Rachel called.

He grinned and threw his suit on quickly, grabbed his IPOD and wallet, and added sunglasses to his head. Rachel came out of the bathroom wearing a strappy dress over her suit and grabbed a bag she had prepared for poolside. Since their room was just outside the pool area, they went through the French door to get there. Rachel found them two comfortable chairs together and proceeded to turn them toward the sun while he got the towels.

Rachel set her stuff on the little table between their chairs. She pushed her straps down and stepped out of her dress. Puck moistened his lips at the sight of her in those… triangles. He swallowed uncomfortably and was grateful he had on sunglasses. Holy SHIT!

It wasn't like it was any surprise that Rachel was hot- he'd seen her naked. Somehow, the two TINY triangles that barely covered just part of her boobs and that little scrap of fabric on her crotch was sending him over the edge. The rest of the suit was really just strings. It was like she was naked out here- except thank fuck she wasn't.

Puck swallowed again and looked away. Jesus. He had to get his shit together. When he turned back toward Rachel, she was smoothing lotion all over her body.

"Do you want some lotion?"

He looked at her glistening body and stifled a groan.

"Not yet. I think I'm going to go in the water."

She shrugged, surprised that he was going into the water already.

He made his way to the pool, hoping it was REALLY cold. He needed that. It wasn't. He motioned to a waiter and ordered a drink and sent him to Rachel, giving him the room to charge the drinks to. He watched Rachel from the deeper part of the pool, hoping to send the message to his body that now was not the time for THAT.

He watched the waiter make his way over to Rachel to get her drink order. The asshole didn't even attempt to hide the fact that he was checking her out. Puck simmered in the pool while the douche-waiter eye-fucked his girl.

When the waiter brought him an icy Mai Tai a few minutes later, he nodded to him and practically jerked it out of his hands. He saw that Rachel had a fruity drink next to her too. He wasn't sure what it was. As he sipped, he noticed it wasn't helping him calm down at all. His eyes were glued to her, and the scene he was unraveling in his mind was intense. Those triangles revealed too much and not enough all at once.

When his plan was firmly planted and the drink gone, he made his way out of the pool, strategically placing towels to dry off with on his way. When he got to the chair where Rachel was, he tapped it lightly to get her attention.

"Hey, I'm going to get some snacks."

A look of annoyance crossed her face. "Okay. They're in the bag on top of the microwave."

He went to the room, just steps away from where she was, and waited a few minutes, drying off as he waited.

"Hey, Rach," he called, after waiting enough time. "I can't find the pretzels. Can you help me a minute?"

Her annoyed, "Sure." almost made him laugh out loud, but he kept it in check.

When she entered the room, not noticing that he had already redrawn the drapes, he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, kissing her intently.

"Noah, what are you doing?"

"Shit, Rach. I TRIED to keep my hands off you. I didn't toss you into the bed the minute we got here like I wanted, but… then you wore this." He gestured to her suit.

She squirmed a little, and he sat on the bed, pulling her into his lap and kissing a trail along her neck.

"Rach, you're incredible. I can't possibly wait a minute longer. Even after all that time in the water, look at what you do to me."

He led her hand to his bathing suit, where she could feel the hardness through the wet fabric. Rachel bit her lip, and began stroking him. He reached up her back to tug her top off to get access to her. Each breast pebbled under his touch, and he took turns stroking them with his tongue. He continued to kiss her neck and lied back on the bed, scooting to the top, carrying her with him.

When he tried to flip her beneath him, she resisted.

"No, I want to be on top."

He wasn't about to argue, as long as she gave him access to all his favorite parts. While he kissed her again, showing her with his tongue what he planned to do, she tugged at his suit. He shoved it down and kicked it to the floor, quickly grabbing her bottoms to do the same. He continued to kiss her, blazing a trail from her breasts to her neck to her lips. He slid his tongue along hers, panting for breath as she resumed her stroking of his cock.

"Rach, a break- please."

She smiled, proud of what she'd done to him. He pushed her back and slid between her legs, kissing the tender skin inside her thighs. When he stroked a tongue up them, she shivered. Puck found the tender nub of her clit and nipped lightly at it. She cried out, and he used his tongue to soothe it. While his tongue worked her clit, he pushed a thumb into her, searching for the spongy g-spot. When he found it, she arched up to meet him, and he continued to press it as he lubed her clit with his tongue. In minutes, she was at the edge, and he pushed her over with his tongue flattened to her clit while his thumb increased the pace inside her. When she was calling out his name, he went back up to kiss her, enjoying the rise and fall of her breasts as she struggled to regulate her breathing. He never removed his hand from her, and switched fingers, allowing more rotation with his index finger.

"Now it's your turn," she told him.

She had barely put him in her mouth and begun sucking, when he grabbed her and pulled her up on top of him.

"I have to be inside you now. Let me get a condom."

He reached into the nightstand and grabbed the box.

"Those didn't come with the room, did they?" she asked playfully.

"No, I got them on my trip to Walgreens."

"Do you think 12 will be enough?"

He smiled but didn't tell her that he'd bought two boxes.

She grabbed the condom out of his hand and slid it on him. He was the first guy she'd ever been with that truly needed the XL size condoms. He'd never be able to make a regular one work.

Puck watched her lick her lips as she slid him into the condom. Shit. It was like she was purposely testing his control today. He was glad he'd worked one out in the shower this morning, but it had still been days since he'd been with her, so it was killing him.

As soon as he was covered, he reached between her legs and pulled her onto his lap. She put a thigh on either side of his hips and slid down onto him. He groaned. God, she was amazing. That tight slit was pulsing around him. She rocked back and forth, teasing his mouth with her tits. Every time he nipped at one, she rocked back, pulling them out of his reach. Just to keep it even, he pressed on her clit, rubbing little circles over it. Her speed increased quickly. She was working him and her muscles clenched around his dick tightly. When the orgasm took her, she collapsed onto his chest in an exhausted heap. He stroked into her a few times and let his own release go.

"Thanks, babe," he tapped her ass a little to push her off him so he could dispose of the condom.

She smiled up at him, completely relaxed.

"Now that I've satisfied your urges, can I work on my tan?" She grinned.

"For now, but if you're going to be wearing that suit all weekend, be prepared for a lot more of this."

"Don't worry. I brought three other suits with me."

She laughed at the disappointment on his face.


	8. Chapter 8

**Glee Disclaimer: It's not mine and neither are the characters. **

**Mark Salling: I **_**try**_** so hard to end my infatuation with you. But then I look at you again and it's ON!**

**Author's Note: Expect the unexpected. This chapter may give some of you some answers you're looking for. There will be a new character introduced that will explain some of Rachel's… background. AND, things are firming up in mind for the future… Jean, Mama P., and other stuff. It might be **_**different**_** from my other stories so I hope loyal readers aren't disappointed. Let me know what you think…**

*************** Story will start. ********************************

Rachel basked in the sun. Puck fell asleep listening to his IPOD. When he woke up, Rachel was in the pool, cooling off. He made his way to the pool to join her. In the water, somehow the sight of Rachel in a _wet_ bathing suit made it worse. She was more alluring, more sensual. He pulled her against him for a long kiss. When she felt the hard proof of his arousal underwater, she gasped a little and looked down conspicuously.

She started out of the water, but Puck grabbed her and pulled her to him again.

"You're leaving me here?" he cocked his head a little.

"Don't you think it will be easier for you to- you know- without me?"

He grinned. "I find it easier to 'you know'- with you actually."

He let her go when she gave him a frustrated face. She walked back to the chair and lied on it, squeezing the excess water out of her hair. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off her and found his problem no better than when he'd first seen her. So, he did the only sensible thing. He stepped out of the pool, sloshed up to her chair, grabbed her by the hand and said it was time for more snacks. She laughed but followed him.

Hours later, when they had showered and gotten ready for dinner, he grabbed her hand as they walked to the rental car. They had agreed on a place the concierge had recommended and were looking forward to a fun, low-key evening. Tonight they planned on dinner and some gambling later. Puck was sure she would bring him luck.

As they walked into the restaurant to give their name, (the concierge had called ahead for them) a tall man stopped them.

"Rachel, imagine running into you here."

"Oh, hi, Steven. How are you?"

"I'm great. This is my girlfriend, Tori."

Rachel nodded at a petite blond with ginormous, fake boobs.

The man continued, "I can't believe you left the city. What were you possibly thinking? It's not like you can work anywhere else and still matter. When are you going to take my advice and then come back so you'll get some real work?"

Rachel swallowed, trying to get a word in edge-wise. "Steven, this is my-" she faltered, unsure what to describe Noah as, "my friend, Noah."

Noah reached forward to shake hands with Steven, then pulled Rachel to his side possessively. "Noah Puckerman. Good to meet you."

Steven barely glanced at Puck and eyed Rachel up and down. "So, are you working in Vegas?" he asked snidely.

Rachel drew herself up haughtily. "No, I'm in Chicago. I have a show that's starting in a few weeks. It's new."

Steven practically scoffed. "Chicago? Seriously? Who are you working with there? What show are you doing?"

"Actually, Rachel's in her own show, it's a talk-show in Chicago." Puck jumped in trying to save her. Rachel cringed.

Steven barked a laugh. "A talk show? You're doing a talk show? Really, Rachel. You shouldn't have been so offended by my advice; you'll end up following it anyway. It didn't have to end that way; you should have been more mature about everything that happened. I know you're from a small town, but that doesn't mean you have to _be_ small town."

Rachel visibly deflated. Puck wasn't sure how to get her out of this, so he just physically removed her from it by steering her toward the hostess stand.

"Sorry. They're waiting on us. See you around."

"Call me when you come to your senses and decide to return to New York." Steven called after them.

"Asshole," Puck muttered.

"Yes, he is. Thank you for not causing a bigger scene by punching him or something stupid."

Puck smiled. "I'm too old for that. I haven't gotten into a fight since high school. But… I wanted to."

She smiled at him appreciatively.

Once the hostess had them settled at their table and drinks were ordered, Puck put down the menu and resumed the conversation.

"Old boyfriend?"

Rachel nodded. Puck swallowed the bitter taste of jealousy, thinking of that smug asshole with his Rachel. His Rachel? When did that happen?

"He doesn't seem like your type." He said instead.

Rachel laughed sharply. "My type? Do I have a type? Steven was exactly my type. He was the male version of me: driven, focused, egotistical, talented, and heterosexual. We should have been perfect for each other." Her voice trailed off.

"But?" Puck encouraged.

"But, I guess, it was too much of the same. Although we were the opposite sex, it was like we were constantly competing with each other. When I noticed it and drew back from the competition, he circled in and became more vicious. He critiqued my performances much more harshly than any critic ever did. When he decided that if I had bigger boobs I would get more roles, he scheduled me an appointment with a plastic surgeon. When I refused to go, he threw a fit, insisting I was sabotaging my own career. Shortly after that, he got a big break- a lead role on Broadway, which only fed his ego. We grew apart and eventually I found him in bed with the female producer. He insisted that I was overreacting and immature about it."

Puck nodded. "How long were you with him?"

"About 3 years."

"3 years with that asshole. Must have been torture."

Rachel smiled wanly. "The first year was good. After that… I agree- torture."

"Well," he ventured, "I guess he's figured out what he's missing. He still wants you back." The words tasted sour in his mouth as he spoke them.

Rachel shook her head. "It's not that he wants me back so much as he can't believe that I'm not pining for him. At least in his mind now, he can say that I wasn't talented enough for New York anyway."

Puck shook his head no. "You are, you know- talented enough. Rachel Berry is talented enough to be anywhere she wants to be. I'm just grateful you ended up in Chicago."

She disagreed. "I really wasn't. In New York, they were all as good as I am. Everywhere I went there was another actress who was just a little prettier, a better dancer, who had a better body… I never quite measured up."

"I don't believe you." Puck said flatly. "New York might not have worked out for you yet, but I bet it had more to do with him making your confidence waffle than with your actual talent."

She smiled. "Thanks for saying that, Noah. Now- I don't want to talk about Steven and the past anymore."

He smiled back. "Alright. Let's talk about us."

She startled. "Us?"

He nodded. "Yeah, us. We're in Vegas for the weekend, and you couldn't even tell that asshole I was your boyfriend."

"Well… I didn't know what to describe you as. We've never really talked about that, it's all happened so fast."

"Rachel, since the moment we slept together, I assumed we were exclusive. Are we?"

"Of course."

"Then you're my girlfriend."

She smiled and nodded.

They ordered dinner after that and enjoyed a delicious, leisurely meal. When they were done, they went back to their hotel and gambled in the casino. Rachel went off to play slots while Puck tried his hand at Blackjack. When Rachel came back empty-handed, she perched behind Puck at the table. With that, his winning streak began, and he won $5,000 in two short hours. They cashed out and went back to the room to celebrate.

Puck's head was swimming with the events of the evening. Meeting Steven sure cleared up why Rachel had reservations about them rushing into this. She'd been with the asshat for 3 years, and he'd systematically set out to destroy her confidence. Puck felt like he'd made good gains getting her to agree that she was his girlfriend. Labels had never really been that important to him before, but for some reason they were important to him with Rachel. He lied back on the bed, shirt off and comfortable, while he waited for her to emerge from the bathroom.

$5,000 in winning sure had to be a sign, didn't it? The good lord was clearly telling him she was his good luck charm.

When the door opened, she emerged in a fiery red negligee, her beautiful hair framing her face… the light behind her illuminating her. For some crazy reason, it reminded him of a silly dream he'd had about her in high school, where he thought God had been telling him to date Rachel. He smiled.

"Rachel, you look beautiful. Come here."

She came over to him, almost shyly. He pulled her into his arms, on the bed and kissed her gently, framing her face with his hands. He just kissed her for a long time, until she was sending signs of needing more. He didn't stop kissing her, but he started with his hands between her thighs, reaching for her center. When he stroked a hand between her legs, her thighs parted eagerly. He put a finger between her wet folds and slid into her center. She was wet, hot, moist. He continued to kiss her and moved his finger back and forth, feeling her rise to meet him.

'He added a second finger to the first and reached the spongy goodness inside her. Rachel gasped for air, but he didn't stop kissing her. He continued kissing her neck, her cheeks. The other hand reached up to stroke her breasts through the silky negligee. She moaned into his next kiss and he pressed the heel of his hand against her clit as he continued to stroke his fingers inside her.

"Oh, Rachel. You're amazing. You have no idea how sensual you are. You're so damn hot and wonderful."

"Ughh hnmmm," she garbled an answer back, unable to form words or complete thoughts.

"What's that, babe? You're close?"

He increased the pressure of his hand on her clit and frantically pushed his fingers faster inside her, rubbing the spongy spot. With his lips, he continued to kiss her and whisper to her how wonderful she was. When he felt her tighten up on his fingers, he swallowed her cries with his own mouth, kissing her passionate cries away.

When she recovered, he quickly threw his clothes to the floor and grabbed a condom from the nightstand. She reached for him, but he pushed her hands away, knowing he couldn't handle more. He made his way between her legs, and spread her apart to line himself up. At her entrance, he pushed in and gasped again at how tight, how perfect she was. Grabbing her hand on, he held it as he rocked into her, using his other hand for leverage. He went back to kissing her, using his lips and tongue on her neck, her face, her lips. When he wasn't kissing her mouth, he continued to tell her how amazing she was, how soft, how smooth, how perfect. When she squeezed his hand again, he knew she was close, and he increased his pace. When she tightened up on him, he could hold back no longer and let go as well, collapsing on top of her.

"Rachel, you're so damn perfect every time. You make me lose control."

Rachel kissed him and whispered, "I love it when you're out of control."

Then he pulled her into his arms for the night. He hoped he'd eased her mind, knowing that seeing Steven again would torture her thoughts were self doubt. His girl should not have to doubt herself or her talent, ever.

Rachel Berry was his girlfriend. He'd never thought he stood a chance. Life was good.

**AN: So, what do you think of Steve? Does it help to explain why Rachel has so many doubts about rushing into things with Noah?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Glee Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Fox/Ryan Murphy. Dreams of Puckleberry belong to us all!**

**Mark Salling: I tried to decide which feature is my favorite, but to be fair, I haven't seen them all, and I suspect one of my favorites is "hidden". Please reconsider the Playgirl offer so I can justly choose my favorite of your features. **

**Author's Note: Real life took me for a loop again. I've had a few weeks of bad news poured upon worse news. I'm ready for a vacation. Thanks to my loyal readers who are generous with their praise and free with their "favorite" buttons! You are AWESOME and have helped me through some tough times. To be honest, I LOVE writing these stories, and the reviews keep me going. My RL people want me to give RL stories a shot, but… these are so FUN!**

**************** Story will start. ******************************

Puck rolled over and pulled Rachel tighter into his arms. Every time they'd been together, one of them had had to rush off. This morning, this morning Puck had plans. He placed a sweet kiss to her temple as he let his hands wander to her stomach. She arched into him, and his lower body instantly responded.

"Mmmmm…" she stretched.

"Soon," he commented.

She smiled at him, and he reached for a breast, carefully strumming it to life. She reached behind her to begin stroking him. With a gentle hand, she ran it up and down his length. His cock hardened under her touch, and she flipped over to grasp him more firmly. Her pace increased, and she worked him over until the watery pre-come was lubricating the tip, and she lowered herself to take him into her mouth. Puck wanted to tell her to stop, but being able to watch Rachel take him into her mouth was too tempting not to be tempted by. She looked up at him and smiled with her mouth full of his dick. She played with the boys gently with one hand and used the other to keep him where she needed him. Her tongue swirled around the tip and then stroked him to the base and lapped up and down completely again. When she had worked her way around him a few times, she stopped and took him in her mouth again, deeper, letting him hit the back of her throat and swallowing firmly.

"God, Rachel, stop. Stop now."

Instead of stopping, she just continued until she felt him spurting into the back of her throat, swallowing that too. When she was done, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and exited the bed to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Jesus, Rachel, I wanted this morning to be awesome for you. We never get to have leisurely morning sex."

"This morning was awesome for me, Noah."

"But, you didn't get anything out of it. It was all about me. I wanted it to be good for you."

She smiled and winked, "Oh, I definitely got something out of it. Noah, you always make it about me. I wanted to return the favor for a change."

He smiled back at her and pulled her back down to the bed to hold her in his arms.

"I guess I won't complain then."

"Complain? You had better not complain."

"Oh, I won't. Definitely not. You were incredible. Amazing. I've never been so impressed. That sweet little mouth of yours is going to be fueling my spank bank for months."

She smiled and hopped out of the bed to take a shower.

Much as Puck loved the suit she wore by the pool that day, he resisted the temptation to bring her back to the hotel room for "snacks". The last message he wanted to send was that this was a relationship based on sex- even if it should be. She was amazing, and he had no idea how he had missed out on her for this long.

That night, she asked him to go down to the casino while she got ready. He thought it was a strange request, but she explained that she wanted him to see the effect, not the process of her getting ready. He was good with that. They had decided early to get dressed up tonight for a more sophisticated evening with a show after dinner and then dancing. The concierge had set them up again with tickets and a nice restaurant for dinner. When she called to say she was ready, he went upstairs, flowers in hand.

He knocked on the door politely instead of using his key.

She opened the door and his chin dropped.

"Fuck, Rachel, you are gorgeous! I've never seen anyone more beautiful than you!"

Rachel beamed at his over-the-top compliment. Her eyes swept him from head-to-toe, and lingered on his shoulders and arms. Even in a jacket, his amazing body screamed to be touched. She licked her lips nervously, hoping she'd be able to keep her hands off him tonight.

She smoothed her hands over the short red dress that hugged her body like a second skin. She knew it was risqué and unlikely something she would wear much in Chicago, but in New York it had been quite the norm for evening parties. Noah enjoyed the eyeful of cleavage the plunging neckline revealed, and stared at her toned legs with the way it barely covered her ass. He held the flowers out to her, and her mouth made an "o" of surprise.

"Noah, how sweet. You didn't have to buy me flowers."

"I know I didn't have to, but I certainly wanted to."

They left for a dinner where he plied her with a good wine and picked her brain for more information about a woman he was more than a little obsessed with already. Rachel gave him all the information he sought and more. She explained how happy she was in Chicago for a variety of reasons, but a lot of it had to do with being able to try something new, like the talk show and having a good friend like Val for the first time since high school.

When they lined up outside the club for the show, Rachel pointed to the marquee. "Noah, did you know?"

He looked up. Fuck no, he hadn't known, but there was little he could do about it now. Jesse St. James was headlining here in Vegas. This was the show the concierge said was a "can't miss".

"Do you still want to go?" he asked.

"Why not? It could be fun. It's not like I've seen him since high school."

Yeah. Puck hadn't seen him since high school either. Why the hell did they have to keep running into Rachel's exes on this trip? He wished she had a ring or something on her finger to show the douches she was his now. Well… maybe not a ring. A hickey? A tattoo? Something that screamed "Property of Puck".

They went into the club and were seated near the front. Puck hoped they would fade into the background, but St. Douche didn't run that kind of show. Apparently he liked to interact with the crowd, and when he saw them, he was as excited as hell.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is unbelievable. Two of my former competitors from my high school show choir days are right here in the audience tonight. Puck, Rachel, how nice of you to come and show your support. I appreciate it so much. Would you do me the honor of coming up to sing with me?"

Puck tried to decline, but he saw the sparkle in Rachel's eye and followed her up the steps. They briefly consulted with Jesse and decided to sing. The audience seemed less than thrilled at Jesse's "surprise treat", but they didn't know Rachel Berry yet.

They sang the old Glee favorite "Don't Stop Believin' " (Journey) with Puck and Jesse alternating between the male lead. When the crowd went wild, Jesse asked if it would be okay if he sat the next song out while the two of them sang a duet. Puck was amazed at the sparkle in Rachel's eyes while she performed. This was her true love.

They sang the Lady Antebellum duet from high school, "Need You Now" for the crowd's roaring approval. Jesse thanked them and ushered them off the stage, joking that the last thing he needed was more competition.

After the show, a security guard offered to take them backstage to see Jesse. Puck shrugged when Rachel sent him the silent question. They went, and Puck wasn't thrilled, but he certainly wasn't threatened by Jesse St. James.

Turns out, Puck needn't have worried. Jesse's boyfriend, Chris, was backstage as well. The four of them chatted for about a half-hour before Jesse had to prepare for his next show. Puck and Rachel wished the two well and headed out.

"Do you still want to go dancing?" Puck asked.

"Not really. I think it would be kind of a let-down after performing unexpectedly. Besides, I'm not sure I can keep my hands off you for another minute."

Puck grinned and hailed a cab. She didn't have to ask him twice. And, she was right, she _couldn't_ keep her hands off him for a minute longer. She was all over him in the car, half undressing him. When he caught the cabbie smiling at him in the back seat, he scowled at him until he averted his eyes again.

When they made their way into the hotel room, he was unable to restrain himself a minute longer and accidentally ripped her dress in his haste to get it off.

"Shit. I'm sorry, Rach. I'll buy you a new one, I swear."

She laughed. "It's okay, Noah. I can honestly say I've never had my clothes ripped off me before. This is a first."

Seriously? Nobody had ripped her clothes off her before? What the hell was the matter with her exes?

"You must not have worn that dress before," he mumbled, kissing her neck franticly.

"Actually, I wore it a lot when I was with Steven. He just didn't really like it."

"Fucking idiot," swore Puck. Then he set about showing her just how powerful she was in that dress.

**Author's Note: I realize this wasn't the most interesting chapter, but I needed to set a few things up for the future. Were you surprised to see Jesse in my story? I was, since Jesse is not my favorite. A reviewer asked for more Glee characters. Ask and you MIGHT receive… LOL! **


	10. Chapter 10

** Disclaimer: Fox owns the important stuff.**

**Mark Salling: You're just like the song from True Blood, "I wanna do bad things to you!"**

**Author's Note: Special thanks to bahnannah who has totally pimped me on her page! What a compliment! THANK YOU!**

** Thanks also to my many favoriters and alerters. I always appreciate reviews most, but I appreciate that you're interested in my story enough to favorite or alert too!**

**I apologize for the long delay. My mind is ahead of my fingers. I'm a few chapters ahead mentally, and it's hard to write to get us to where I **_**want**_** us to be! **

******************** Story will start. ****************************

Rachel arched her back, burrowing her ass into Puck's body suggestively. He draped his arm around her, pulling her closer and kissing her neck.

"G'morning, baby."

"Good morning, Noah!" she kissed the back of his hand and pushed her feet through the middle of his, aching to have him closer.

He lazily traced circles over her nipples until they puckered a response.

"Finally," he whispered, "we get to have amazing morning sex."

"Maybe," she laughed at his wounded look. "We'll see."

"I accept that challenge."

He flipped her onto her back and began his assault of her senses. He kissed a trail from her neck to her navel, pausing to torment her bellybutton with his tongue. When she could take no more of his teasing, she pushed on the top of his head, and he grinned up at her.

"Not where you wanted my tongue? Let's try this then."

He swiped at her slit with a long, smooth motion- top to bottom. When she groaned, he flicked her clit with little dabbing strokes like a typewriter. When she was almost there he stopped and inserted two fingers into her, scissoring them inside her.

"Noah, noooooo," she whined. "You stopped too soon. Go back. Go back."

"Someone is impatient this morning. Don't you trust me to see that you're fulfilled? When have I ever let you down before?"

She stopped thrashing on the bed long enough to think about it. It was true: Noah had never not made sure she came. He was the only one. Ever. She had become to wonder if it was her. After all, she could be described as "intense". Some of the men from her past had led her to believe she was just wound too tight to really get off. Noah had proved them all wrong. She lied back to enjoy his ministrations.

When she was almost to the edge again, he stopped and went back up to kiss her.

"This time," he whispered in her ear, "you're only going to come when I'm inside you. I want to feel you come around me, and only me."

She whimpered as he retraced his trail over her body. Each time she was on the verge of coming, he stopped to start something new. Her body felt like it was on fire. Her hands fisted the sheets in frustration. Finally, when her mind couldn't handle the mental torture a minute longer, he grabbed a condom and put it on. Rachel licked her lips as she watched him, hungry for the next step, for more.

He carefully centered himself to her, spreading her apart as he thrust inside her. When he had pushed all the way to the hilt, he grabbed her legs and put them up on his shoulders, pushing further back as he went. His hands ran along the backs of her legs, feeling her smooth skin as he pushed in and out of her in a steady rhythm.

Rachel panted beneath him, rising up to meet his thrusts. When he swirled his hips as he pushed into her, she started an anguished cry of pleasure that wouldn't stop as she keened her orgasm, tightening around him as he kept pushing in and out of her. When she was done, he stopped to kiss her.

"Ready for more?"

Her eyes glazed over as she realized he wasn't done, there would be more. She couldn't handle more. She couldn't possibly have more than this now.

His eyes danced as he withdrew from her and lied back on the bed so he could pull her on top of him. She climbed up on him, and he stroked her breasts as she lowered herself onto his cock.

"Mmmmm," she whispered in his ear. "So good."

He started a slow, rhythmic pattern of thrusting into her. She responded by clenching her muscles around him as he thrust up.

When he lowered his fingers to work her clit as she rode him, it was impossible to stop the waves of pleasure that washed over her.

"Noah! Oh, God, God, God, No MORE!" she screamed.

He let himself go too and collapsed back onto the bed, pulling her on top of him. She burrowed into his shoulder, tears touching the corners of her eyes at the intensity of her orgasms. Never had a man put her first like this; never had a man made her feel like this.

"Whoa, Rach, you're supposed to be happy I'm such a sex god, not upset about it." He teased, rubbing her shoulder.

"I know. You are a sex god. That was just so amazing. I can't help but feel overwhelmed."

He smirked- proud of himself for proving that he was right. He got up to dispose of the condom and clean himself off. When he returned to the bed, she was asleep again, so he jumped in the shower instead. He'd have to wake her up soon enough because their amazing weekend in Vegas was just about over. They had to catch a flight back to Chicago, back to reality.

**AN: Next up, more from Jean… and it's BAD!  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**Glee Disclaimer: None of it is mine. Only one person I wish really was.**

**Mark Salling: I wish… **

**Author's Note: Prepare yourself for the epic evil that is Jean. If you've never met anyone like her, count yourself lucky. Thanks for the reviews. Hope you enjoy…**

**************** Story will start. ***********************

Puck and Rachel returned to Chicago later that day. It was a hard dose of reality that they returned to 50 degree temps and a rainstorm. Puck took her straight back to her place because he had work to catch up on, and she needed a good night's sleep before a photo-shoot for promos for her new show in the morning.

Later that week, Puck found his frustration mounting that he was unable to find time to get together with Rachel. Every time, he had a chance, she was busy. On Friday night, his band had a gig, and he had invited Rachel to it, but she had some other stuff to do, and it wasn't going to be exactly quality time.

Saturday night, Puck showed up at Rachel's with some Chinese take-out and movies. They were both pretty exhausted from a busy week, but Puck really wanted to see Rachel again.

When he walked through the door, he grabbed her for a long kiss, pressing his body completely against hers, feeling his own response as his tongue sought hers.

"Oh, babe, I missed you this week. After sleeping with you for 3 nights, it was really hard to fall asleep without you."

She pulled out of his arms. "Well, it's not looking good for tonight either."

"What? You have to work again tomorrow?" Puck tried not to sound whiney.

She looked down, a little red in the face, "No, I mean… I'mhavingmyperiodandwecan'thavesextonight."

Her head slumped to her chest, and she looked down so she wouldn't have to see him. She hated these personal conversations with members of the opposite sex. They were always so awkward.

He picked up her chin with his hand and looked her in the eye, "God, Rach, what kind of loser do you think I am? I still want to sleep with you even if we can't have sex you know. I haven't seen you all week. I missed you and want to be with you. The sex is a bonus to the rest of you."

It was all true, but his mind was reeling in disappointment. Obviously, he could handle it and all, but he had truly made plans for… lots of things. But just then she looked up at him and smiled broadly.

"Really?" her surprise was genuine. "I just figured…"

"Rachel, I'm starting to think I'm the first nice guy you've ever dated, and I know you dated Finn so that can't be true."

She laughed. "Maybe he was just the last nice guy I dated."

They laughed and sat down on the couch to eat their food. While they watched the movies, she snuggled up between his legs to cuddle him closer and pepper his face and neck with random kisses. He had taken off his shirt because he was so warm with her body heat, and she was constantly caressing his chest and arms too. As much as he tried to keep his body from responding, he was only human.

When she noticed his raging hard-on, she motioned to it and asked, "Oh, do you want me to…?"

"What? No." he shook his head emphatically. "I just want to be with you, babe."

He also desperately wanted to know when she was going to be done. He could handle this little dry spell, but he also wanted to make up for it.

"So, ummm, when do you think we'll be able to, ah…"

"Oh, it's going to be a while. I just started tonight. Maybe next weekend."

His face fell a little. "What do you have planned next weekend? Can we at least make plans to be together next weekend?"

She smiled. "Noah, I didn't forget it's your birthday next weekend. I still have a few things to do for work next weekend, but it's not a big time commitment. I can spend some time with you next weekend to celebrate your birthday."

"You remember my birthday? From high school?"

"Of course. I have an excellent memory. Speaking of birthdays, what can I get you for your birthday?"

"Well, I still need to replace that dress of yours that I tore. Will you take my credit card and go shopping this week for it? Do you think you can find it again?"

"I'm not sure I can find the same dress, but I'll get one like it." She smiled. "Now, what can I really get YOU for your birthday?"

Puck smirked at her. "I know exactly what I want: you."

She blinked up at him. "What?"

"I want you to be completely mine. I want you to do whatever I want all weekend, aside from when you have to be at work."

"That sounds suspiciously like slavery, Noah Puckerman."

"But it'd be a lot of fun."

"I was thinking along the lines of a nice Under Armor sweatshirt."

He laughed. "You asked what I wanted. Now can we go to bed? I'm exhausted."

She nodded drowsily up at him. "Yes."

They slept together that night, cuddling closely but not fooling around at all for the first time since they'd been together. Puck felt like he was being tortured, but he could handle it. Next weekend would be amazing. All he had to do was clear his calendar.

Friday morning, Puck was at the office practically whistling because he would finally get laid that night. He had some stuff to finish up and would be leaving by 2 so he could be with Rachel all weekend.

His secretary buzzed him and told him there was someone important to see him.

"Who the fuck is it?" he asked, irritated that she hadn't given him a name.

"Mr. Puckerman, I was told it was a surprise. Can you come out here?"

He grinned broadly, knowing it was Rachel. She was amazing. He couldn't wait to see her. As he turned round the corner… his jaw dropped.

"Ma? What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Noah Puckerman! Do not speak to me that way! I wanted to surprise you for your birthday. I called earlier this week, and that sweet Jean told me that your calendar was cleared for the weekend, so we figured it would be the perfect surprise. Happy birthday, baby!" She stepped toward him for a hug and kiss.

Puck tried to smile. His mother was here this weekend? Jean had helped her plan it? Hadn't he mentioned that he was clearing his schedule for Rachel? Shit. There went his weekend fuckfest.

"Thanks, Mom. I'm just… really surprised. I had no idea you were coming. I, uh, I have work to do here for a couple more hours. Can I…?"

"Mr. Puckerman, I've arranged some time in my schedule so that I could take your mom out to lunch when she got here. If that's okay with you, of course. I knew you'd be busy."

"Uh, yeah. That'd be great. Here, Mom, I'll get you a key to the apartment so you can go there, and I'll be by later."

Shit. He had to call Rachel. Their plans had just changed… drastically.


	12. Chapter 12

**Glee Disclaimer: Glee is owned by FOX, not me.**

**Mark Salling: You redefine HOT.**

**Author's Note: Hate to disappoint, but Jean is ratcheting up her evil in this chapter as well. I can't have Puck's mom fawning all over Rachel in EVERY story, can I? Thanks for the reviews! Please R & R! LOVE to hear from readers!**

*************** Story will start! **************************

Puck went back to his office and dialed Rachel's number, still trying to wrap his head around his mother's surprise visit. She didn't answer so he left a message and hoped she got it before she went to his apartment. He tried contacting her again a few more times before he left work that day with no luck.

Meanwhile… at lunch with Jean and Sharon Puckerman:

"Thank you for taking me out to lunch, Jean. That was so thoughtful of you to clear your schedule for me. I guess I just didn't think about the logistics, I was so excited to be able to surprise Noah. I've never done anything like this for him before."

Jean smiled. "Oh, really, Mrs. Puckerman, it's no problem at all. Noah is a fabulous boss, and he works so hard. It will be good for him to have some down-time this weekend with you. His life is very stressful."

"It is?" Sharon's brow furrowed. "And I insist that you call me Sharon. I had no idea his life was so stressful. I thought the business was very successful."

"Oh, it is, definitely, especially since he's given me more responsibilities. You know what they say, my job is to make his job easier." Jean smiled as Sharon nodded her head approvingly. "I meant his personal life. A single, good-looking guy like him- this city is full of girls looking to latch onto that."

Sharon smiled a little. "Noah's never had trouble in the romance department. Girls were always fawning all over him. In high school, you wouldn't believe how brazen some of those girls were. There was one time, his girlfriend Santana, she… oh, I shouldn't be telling you this. Noah doesn't like it when I share stories from his past. He wasn't always as together as he is now."

Jean smiled conspiratorially at her. "Really? That does surprise me. He's actually dating a girl from his past now. But you probably already knew that."

Sharon looked up quickly. "He is? It's not Santana is it? Or Brittany? Those girls were never good for Noah."

"I probably shouldn't say anything, especially when I'm not sure 'dating' is the right term for it."

Sharon's mouth creased into a frown of disapproval. "Oh, one of those 'relationships'. Unfortunately, he's had his share of those too. It just sickens me that he can't seem to find someone who sees how wonderful he is and wants a real relationship, someone successful. Come on, Jean, we're friends. You _have_ to tell me."

Jean smiled at her and shifted her head to the side a little, as if weighing the pros and cons of spilling news to Sharon.

"You're right, Sharon. We are friends. And, we both want what's best for Noah. You just have to promise not to reveal your source."

"Of course not, Jean. Trust me, I've never shared my Jewish Mother secrets with Noah. I'm not about to start now."

"It's Rachel Berry."

Sharon squealed with delight, quickly letting it wither away when she saw Jean's frown.

"Oh," said Jean in discomfort, "you're okay with that?"

Sharon looked back at her with surprise. "What's wrong with Rachel? She was always such a sweet girl, and she's Jewish!"

Jean shifted uncomfortably and the waiter delivered their salads. Sharon never took her eyes off her, watching her every expression.

"Spill, Jean." She said when the waiter left.

"Well… it's probably nothing. My instincts are probably off. You've known and obviously liked Rachel for a long time, so if she's _always_ been into Noah, it's probably okay. It's just that so many girls want to latch onto Noah now that everyone knows he's got money. You know how some women need security."

Sharon cocked her head to the side. "I wouldn't say she's _always_ been into Noah, in fact, in high school… they weren't really friends."

"Oh," Jean replied with a frown.

"It's not like Rachel needs security. She's a very successful actress."

Jean shook her head sadly as she ate. "Actually, she couldn't make it in New York. That's why she's here. She's going to do some talk show for a local TV show. It doesn't stand a chance in hell."

"Rachel Berry isn't an actress? That just doesn't make any sense. She's always been so ambitious."

"She's still ambitious; it's just a different kind of ambition." warned Jean.

Jean switched topics then but Sharon's mind kept turning over the information she'd given her, and she steered it repeatedly back to the relationship that, quite frankly, shocked her.

"So how long have they been seeing each other?"

"I don't know, Sharon. I only work for the guy. Long enough that he's taken her on a trip and everything."

"Really? It's serious, then?"

"Oh, I don't know, Sharon. It's hard to say. Noah's such a good guy. I just hate to see him get taken advantage of."

Sharon's brow furrowed as she took this all in. "It seems strange that her parents haven't mentioned anything to me at Temple."

"Oh, so it's not serious for her?"

"I don't know. She's always been so close with her dads. It seems like she would have told them about Noah."

"Do you think she's ashamed of him?"

At Sharon's look of horror, Jean quickly apologized. "It's just that from what you and he have said about his past, I take it he wasn't exactly the kind of guy most dads would be thrilled their daughter was bringing home."

Sharon's spine stiffened. Jean apologized again, and they changed the subject for the rest of their lunch. Jean dropped Sharon off at Noah's apartment, and they said their goodbyes.

Noah met his mom at the apartment shortly after that.

"Noah, so what are we doing tonight?"

"Well, actually, Mom, I'm not sure yet. You see, I have some pretty big news to share. Do you remember Rachel Berry?"

She nodded. He braced his body for her shrill cries of delight and the physical assault as well when she found out he was dating a Jewish girl, especially Rachel Berry whom she'd always liked!

"Well, Rachel's in Chicago now, and we're dating."

Nothing. He looked at her to make sure she'd heard him correctly.

"Is it serious, Noah?"

He faltered, unsure how to answer that. They didn't really talk about stuff like that, but it was.

"Yeah, I mean Rachel's great and everything, but we're just taking it one step at a time."

"I think that's probably smart, Noah."

He nodded, completely thrown by her reaction. "Well, anyway, I'm not sure if Rachel will be coming with us tonight or not, we sort of had plans."

"Oh," his mom said, sounding disappointed. "I guess that would be okay.

Puck excused himself to take a shower and try to reach Rachel one last time. With his mother acting so strange, he felt like he needed to warn her. Something was really off about this whole thing, and he didn't know what to do about it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Glee Disclaimer: Glee and its characters belong to Fox. The question is: how can we get them to make it all about Puck?**

**Mark Salling: Seriously, have you even had your shirt off on ONE episode this season? I feel robbed!**

**Author's Note: THANK YOU for the many reviews, favorites, and alerts. I'm glad to be getting a response (even if it's all unhappy) from my readers. I'm told Jean is now the most-hated original character. LOL I'm a little scared that Jay Jackson and I are NOT on the same page for the first time EVER!**

****************** Story will start. *********************

Puck hadn't heard from Rachel yet when his mom got in the shower to get ready for dinner. He was trying to wrap his head around his mother's unnatural reaction to his news that he was dating Rachel. The whole thing was strange. The surprise visit was strange. He was pretty worried that something was wrong with her or Jenna.

When he heard a knock at the door, he answered it quickly. Rachel was on the other side of the door in a beautiful new red dress holding a few gift bags, a box, and balloons. He laughed as he grabbed some of the stuff out of her hands and opened the door.

"Jesus, Rachel, got your hands full?"

"Well, it didn't seem like that much when I bought it." She replied, setting some things on the counter.

"Did you get my message?" he asked.

"No, I think my battery died completely. It has needed to be charged a lot lately, and I haven't gotten a call all day. Why?"

"Well, my mom's here. She surprised me at work with a visit today."

"Your mom just showed up here?" Rachel couldn't fathom a surprise visit to see an adult child in another city.

"Well, I guess she checked in at work and knew I had a clear schedule this weekend, so she decided to surprise me for my birthday."

Rachel's brow furrowed. "Does she do this kind of thing often?"

"No, never, and… she's not herself. I kind of wonder if something's up…"

Rachel smiled. "Well, I'm looking forward to seeing her. I've always liked your mother."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I was hoping to celebrate privately. Looks like you bought that new dress."

Rachel blanched. "Wait, she's here, right now? Shit."

Sharon stepped out of the spare bedroom and called hello to them before Puck could find out what the problem was.

"Hello, Rachel, Noah told me you might be over tonight. It's good to see you."

Rachel smiled warmly and hugged Sharon. "It's good to see you, Mrs. Puckerman. I'm glad you came."

"My little boy only turns 28 once. It's hard to believe he's been a man for 10 years already." Sharon smiled at Noah, obviously proud of him.

"What's the plan for tonight, Rachel. I see you brought gifts. And is that a cake? Good. I didn't have time to make one."

Rachel's face drained of color. "Yes, uh, the cake was kind of a joke. One of my friends made it, and … uh… she's got a naughty sense of humor."

Puck walked over to the box to peek inside. The cake was a "boobs" cake with two over-endowed mounds covered in flesh-colored frostings with little gold stars over the nipples. He laughed.

"Lemme, guess? Val did this."

Sharon peered around him and smacked her lips in distaste. "Really, Rachel, aren't you two a bit old for this kind of thing?"

Rachel faltered. "You're right. It's just, Noah's so hard to buy for, and…I..."

"It's funny, Ma. It's just a cake. It's a joke."

"Well, why don't you open your other gifts, Noah. I'll go get your present from me."

Sharon meandered back to the guest room to grab his present. Rachel quickly grabbed one of the bags she had brought and shoved it into Puck's hands.

"Get rid of this- quick!" she hissed.

He took it toward his room, but his mom came out before he was there.

"What's that?" she asked.

Rachel's face fell in a panic. Fortunately, Puck had had years of hiding things from his mother under his belt, so he said, "Oh, this isn't a present, Mom. Rachel borrowed some towels when we got caught in the rain last week, so she's just returning them now. I'm going to put these in my bathroom."

Sharon looked unconvinced, but Rachel was relieved. They sat in the living room, and Rachel handed him a bag.

"I really didn't know what to get you, so I guess we're going to have to have dinner on me tonight as well."

Sharon looked over at them, a line across her mouth.

Noah opened the gift in the bag Rachel gave him and laughed when he pulled out an Under Armour sweatshirt. Rachel smiled at him, her eyes dancing.

"Thanks, Rach," he said, leaning over to kiss her.

He reached out to open the gift from his mother. It was a picture of the two of them when he was a kid, framed in a silver frame.

"Thanks, Mom, that's awesome."

"That's not all of it, Noah. Do you remember where that was taken?"

He nodded, "At that lake, Uncle Jack had a place there. We used to go fishing and sh.. stuff there."

"Yes, it was on Lake Hamlin. I booked a weekend there for us in July. Your sister is coming too. I hope you will come."

"Mom, that's great. We'd love to go to the lake with you and Jenna. It'll be awesome. It's a great birthday gift."

Rachel saw his mother's eyes dart to her at his words.

"Actually, Noah, I think this sounds like a family event- just family."

Sharon smiled at her, but Puck stopped. "Well, I'm going to bring Rachel. You can't expect me to leave for the weekend and not bring my girlfriend."

"Noah, it's just one weekend."

He looked at her, and Rachel sensed a storm brewing. She quickly interjected with, "Well, I don't want to rush you two, but if we're going to get a table in this town, we had better head out soon."

Puck nodded and stood up. "Thanks, Ma. It's a great gift."

She smiled. "Do you think it would be okay if I invited Jean to join us tonight? Maybe that would make me feel like less of a third wheel?"

Rachel's eyes shot up. Puck answered, "Ma, Jean works for me. I think it would be awkward for her to have dinner with the boss, his girlfriend, and his mother. Give her the night off."

"Oh, okay. I guess so."

Rachel whispered, "How does your mom know Jean?" as Sharon grabbed her purse from the bedroom.

" 'Sides, Ma, this will give you a good chance to get to know Rachel again."

Rachel smiled, but Sharon didn't look thrilled. Puck twirled her in front of him and whistled his approval of the new dress.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Here's your credit card back." Rachel said, slipping the card from her purse pocket to hand to Noah.

"What? Noah bought _you_ a dress for _his_ birthday?" Sharon accused.

Rachel looked uncomfortable.

"What? No, Ma. That's not it. I, uh, spilled red wine on Rachel's dress, and I insisted I replace it. I loved the dress and she looked fabulous in it. I can't believe I did that."

"I see." His mother returned quietly.

Rachel caught his look on the way out the door. Something was definitely up. Parents always loved her. His MOTHER had always loved her… and this wasn't right.

Dinner went pretty smooth. Rachel was nervous, but Puck tried to put her at ease. When Rachel got up to go to the bathroom, Puck turned to his mother and asked the question that had bothered him all night.

"Ma, are you okay? You don't seem yourself tonight at all?"

"What? What do you mean, Noah? Of course I'm myself."

"No, seriously. You're not. I tell you I'm dating a JEWISH girl- for the first time ever, I tell you it's Rachel Berry- whom you have always loved, and… instead of contacting wedding planners like I expected you to do, you're acting like a bitch to the one girl I really care about. I figure that means that something is seriously not right in the world. Is it you or Jenna? What's up? What's going on?"

"Noah, there is nothing going on. I am NOT being a bitch toward Rachel. I just don't know her anymore and neither do you. I'm trying to find out more about her, but you seem to have jumped into this with both feet. Are you sure she's who you think she is?"

Puck just looked at her in frustration because Rachel returned to the table then. Sometimes, he just didn't get women.

After dinner, they went back to Puck's apartment for dessert. Rachel and Sharon sang to Puck. When Sharon was in the bathroom, Puck pulled Rachel into his lap for some kisses.

"I'm dying to see what's in that other bag, you know."

"Quit pretending you didn't peek."

"I didn't. I swear. Scout's honor."

"As if I believe you ever did anything but beat up the boy scouts!"

He laughed. "I can't wait to be alone with you and really celebrate."

"Well, we'll have to make plans later this week."

"What? It's my birthday! You have to stay the night. We made plans."

"Noah, in case you are pretending not to be able to read your mother's signals, she is not crazy about me. There is no way in hell I am sleeping with you while she's here."

"Rachel, I'm 28. She knows we sleep together. It's okay."

She shook her head firmly. "Sorry. I'll make it up to you later. No way in hell I'm staying here with her giving me the evil eye every other second."

Puck didn't respond because Sharon returned to the living room then. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he wasn't getting any on his birthday. What the eff?

"So, Rachel, how is it your fathers haven't mentioned that you're even living in Chicago let alone that you're dating my son?"

Rachel looked at Puck who cocked an eyebrow at her. She hadn't talked much about her dads since they'd been together.

"Well, to be honest, Sharon, my dads weren't really behind my decision to move to Chicago."

"Really?" Puck asked, surprised.

She nodded. "They felt like I was making a poor career choice due to a personal crisis- the end of a relationship. They were furious that I wanted to move even though I was never exactly successful in New York."

"Oh, so you are a struggling actress?" Sharon interrupted.

Puck looked at her, irritated. When did his mom get so rude?

Rachel nodded and met her gaze, "I always worked in New York, but I didn't get a big break. I've had much better luck in Chicago and am excited to be opening this new talk show."

"Isn't that a step down from Broadway?" asked Sharon.

"Ma! Jesus! Stop being so rude!"

Rachel looked at him. "No, it's okay. People ask that all the time. It is _different _ from Broadway, but it's still a great opportunity. It's a lot more money than I ever made in theater, and I will have many chances to sing and still be in front of an audience. If I don't like it, I should be able to get into some shows here.

The conversation went onto more mundane things before Rachel announced she had an appearance in the morning and needed to leave.

"It was nice seeing you, Rachel," said Sharon unconvincingly.

"It was good to see you again, too," Rachel responded kindly. "I'm looking forward to visiting with you more tomorrow."

"Oh, you don't have to work all day?"

Rachel's face fell.

"Ma! Rachel and I made plans for this weekend, and _you're _the one who is changing them."

"I didn't mean anything by it, Noah. I was just surprised when she'd talked about how busy she was. I'm fine with it all."

Noah walked Rachel to the door and stepped into the hallway to kiss her goodbye.

"I'm sorry, Rachel. I don't know why my mom is being so rude tonight. She's not usually like this. I swear."

Rachel nodded, still trying to wrap her head around the change in Mrs. Puckerman. It was so unlike the woman she'd known in high school.

"**Don't** open your other present until I'm with you! And I mean it!" She kissed him and turned to walk to the elevator.

When he went back inside he sat down and looked at his mother.

"Seriously, what is going on? Why are you being such a bitch to Rachel?"

"Noah, you have to understand. I'm your mother. My job is to protect you. Along comes this girl who you barely know, and she has you taking her on trips, buying her dresses, and it's obvious you make good money. I just hate to see you being taken advantage of."

He shook his head incredulously.

"Ma, you have no fucking clue what you're talking about. I know Rachel very well. She could care less if I'm a waiter or a millionaire- she's the only one who never judged me in high school even, when I was a loser. Santana ran a freakin' credit report on me back then, but Rachel Berry never gave a damn what anyone was. She still doesn't. _I_ insisted on taking her to Vegas. _I_ insisted on buying her the dress. She doesn't need anything. I'm the one who always pushes for more. And- how do you know that I took her to Vegas?"

She smiled thinly. "Someone mentioned it to me."

His mind raced. Who? If Rachel's dads didn't know, then who mentioned that to his mother?

"Ma, I'm going to bed now. When I get up in the morning, we'll talk more. I hope you're ready to be nice to Rachel tomorrow. If not, I think you had better go back home. I won't have you treating my girl the way you did tonight. She's really important to me… I might be in love with her already."


	14. Chapter 14

**Glee Disclaimer: Fox owns the DREAM show, not me. Characters belong to FOX!**

**Mark Salling: I'd love to find you in my Easter basket or anywhere else!**

**Author's Note: Seriously, I SO appreciate reviews! Thank you! If you review my work and do NOT receive a pm back it's either because it's disabled on your part or I had some sort of malfunction because I SERIOUSLY try to at least send a thank you! I LOVE reviews and they mean SO much to me! I'm getting some real feedback here and LOVE it! (So… maybe I like Jean! LOL)**

************* Story will start. **********************

The next morning Puck woke up to his mom cooking breakfast in the kitchen. Mmmmmmm! It _almost_ made up for his lack of birthday sex. Seriously, he hadn't gone without birthday sex since… he started having sex. Last night sucked.

He padded out to the kitchen and ran his hand through his hair. He kissed his mom and thanked her for making breakfast.

"You didn't have any coffee so I asked Jean to pick some up on her way over."

"Jean's coming over?"

"Yes, she and I are going to do a little shopping this morning."

"Oh, okay. Why?"

"She offered to take me for a few hours the other day, and I knew you wouldn't want to go, so I said yes. Wasn't that nice of her?"

"I guess so."

She set a plate of eggs, toast, and bacon in front of him and he began to devour it. Nobody had made him breakfast in a really long time, and he loved having someone cook for him. Rachel was… not at all interested in learning to cook.

There was a knock on the door while his mom was busy so he answered it in his shorts. Jean sucked in a breath at her shirtless boss and grinned at him.

"Rough night?" she cocked her head at him.

He shot her an irritated look. "No, it was fine."

She laughed and set the coffees on the counter. "You look like you didn't sleep a wink."

He hadn't, although he should have. He had certainly had nothing better to do.

"Thank you so much, Jean. Sit down, I made you some eggs."

Jean took the seat next to Puck, grazing against him as she sat down.

"Why thank you, Sharon. You are so thoughtful." She turned to Puck. "Your mom tells me you had a Mohawk in high school."

He ignored her. "How long will you be shopping, Mom?" Puck asked, trying to figure out if he had enough time for a booty call with Rachel.

Jean looked at him, "Don't worry, I'll have your mom back shortly. She just has a few stops to make."

Puck sighed. "I guess I'll go for a run then. Good seeing you, Jean," he tossed over his shoulder as he made his way to get his stuff on.

Rachel was at the apartment when the ladies returned. Puck had tried to talk her into a quickie, but she wasn't buying it. He had no idea when his mom was returning, and she hadn't answered his text asking her.

His mom and Jean walked through the door laughing and carrying their packages. Rachel's mouth made a line as she greeted the two of them.

"Well, I'll be seeing you. What fun this was, Sharon! I hope to do it again next time you're in town."

Jean hugged his mom goodbye and called to Puck, "See you for our lunch meeting on Monday, Puck. G'bye Rochelle."

Rachel's eyes narrowed at the slight and it was like a light bulb clicked in her mind as she made a plan to get back at Jean. She smiled wickedly.

"I'm not sure what you're thinking, but I think I like it." Puck said to her. Rachel said nothing. She wasn't sure Puck had drawn the lines of conclusion where Jean was concerned and felt it was better for him to figure it out on his own.

His mother returned from the bedroom where she had been unloading her shopping bags.

"Mom, Rachel got us tickets to a show tonight. Sound good?"

"That sounds great, Rachel. What's the show?"

"Steel Magnolias. Do you like that one?"

"I loved the movie. I'm sure I'll like the show."

They ordered Chinese take-out and had a pretty quiet, uneventful dinner. Sharon kept bringing up wonderful things about Jean: what she had said, how thoughtful she was, the things she had done. Rachel was uncomfortable even commenting because it was clear that Jean had set out to impress Sharon and get on her good side. Apparently it had worked. The show was good, and they said their goodbyes then because Rachel wouldn't see Sharon on Sunday before she left. Rachel felt a little better although it was clear that Sharon didn't _hate _her, she didn't love her either.

Puck kissed her goodbye. "Don't make plans for tomorrow. We have some belated celebrating to do!" he whispered.

She winked at him and said she'd see him tomorrow. They had made plans to meet with his partner's family.

When Puck and his mother returned to his apartment, they sat down with a glass of wine and watched some late night TV.

"So, Noah, I'm sorry I surprised you this weekend. It was clearly not a good idea, and I won't do it again."

He sighed. "It's not that I wasn't glad to see you, but maybe I'm a little too old for surprises. It just made it… awkward."

"Well, I must say… I'm still surprised you're dating Rachel Berry and didn't tell me."

"Yeah, about that, do you think you could hold off on saying anything about it until she mentions it to her dads?"

"Noah, I don't understand this. Why wouldn't she tell her fathers about you? Jean and I think-"

"Jean and you? Mom, I don't want you talking about my personal life with my staff. That's just crossing a line."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Well, I just think it's odd that she wouldn't tell them about you when they know you."

"Well, we're going home to Lima for Father's Day, so she'll tell them then."

"You're coming home? Oh, good."

This distracted her enough to keep things low-key. Puck rarely returned to Lima, so this would make her happy. They finished their wine and went to bed. The next morning, she had barely left when Noah called Rachel to come over.

He grabbed the door and threw it open at her knock. He'd killed time waiting for her to come over by doing laundry and packing stuff for their visit with Mark and Karen.

"Thank fuck!" he said, pulling her to his body and pressing his mouth to hers. He used his tongue to search her mouth, wanting more, needing more.

He shoved the door closed and practically dragged her to the bedroom.

She laughed. "Jesus. Horny much?"

"Yes. It's been so long!" he whined.

She asked about the gift he'd never gotten to open.

"Later," he answered as he started stripping them of their clothes, throwing them haphazardly around the room. When she was naked and lying on the bed, he dropped to his knees, using his tongue to delve into her, licking and nipping at her feverishly.

"God, Noah, No more. Just do me already."

"Your wish is my command," he replied, shoving his way to the nightstand for a condom. He fumbled with the package, frustrated, and she grabbed it from him, expertly encasing him in it, stroking him as she went.

Without any tenderness, he thrust all the way into her. Her breath hitched, and he thrust deep again. Her head thrashed from side to side.

"So good. So good."

He kissed her neck, shoving deep against her, thrusting further into her. She met his thrust and tightened around him. He groaned and reached for her clit. Three swipes and she was coming around him just as his own release came in thunderous waves. He collapsed onto her, trying to absorb some of the weight in his elbows and upper arms.

" 'Bout 4 more times of this, and I'll feel better."

"You, sir, are insatiable."

"And tart that you are, you love it."

"I do."


	15. Chapter 15

**Glee Disclaimer: Fox owns Glee and its characters. This is just a little sip on the Puckleberry juice they don't seem to want to give us.**

**Mark Salling: I think you know exactly how hot you are, yet you're still for real. How hot is that!**

**Author's Note: Wow! My readers are a bloodthirsty lot! I can't believe the number of people who want to kill off Jean! Those of you who don't seem to want her fired! Thanks so much for the reviews and feedback. This story has generated much more interest than my others! I appreciate each and every review and TRY to respond! Thanks for all the favorites and alerts as well!**

******************* Story will start. *******************

After Rachel showered, she got ready while Puck was showering. She had packed a change of clothes and pretty much planned for every type of weather.

Rachel found herself slightly nervous to meet Noah's partner and his wife. She knew this was like meeting a guy's family for the first time, and the visit with his mother had left a bad taste in her mouth. In addition to the normal concerns, Mark's wife, Karen, was 7 months pregnant. In Rachel's experience, pregnant women were a force to be reckoned with. You just never knew where their moods would take them.

"You ready?" asked Puck, sliding into the room in a casual pair of khaki shorts and a t-shirt.

She smiled and nodded. It was so easy for guys. She was wearing some Capri pants and a top, but she had packed a conservative one-piece for swimming. His partner had his own backyard, heated pool that was open early this season. It was the kind that was half hot tub with jets and kept pretty warm.

"We should stop and pick up something from the deli to bring," suggested Rachel.

"I packed some drinks and a pasta salad in the cooler. There are a few bags of chips in the other bag."

Rachel smiled at him, once again impressed with how prepared he was. "Sounds good. Tell me about Karen on the way."

He grabbed their bags and they headed down to his car, parked a street over. Suddenly his eyes scanned up and down her body.

"What are you wearing?"

She looked down, nervously. "What do you mean? Isn't this okay?"

"Yeah, but you look more like a teacher- less like you usually do. Where's the skin, babe? It's 75 degrees and sunny!"

She smiled. "I figured these were your most conservative friends and I should dress accordingly."

He cocked his head to the side. "I guess you're right. I hope you didn't think it would help me to keep my hands off you because I make no promises."

She smiled and encouraged him to tell her more about Mark and Karen. By the time they pulled in the couple's driveway, she learned that Karen had originally worked for them, and started dating the boss on the sly. Mark was something of a financial genius and had invested in their business as well as a few others. They currently had a four-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl, so their third was going to be a surprise. Being a full time mom had been a huge adjustment for Karen, and as far as Puck knew, there were still some issues about it.

Mark came right out to the car to greet them and welcomed Rachel with a hug. He was not as tall as Noah but well built with just the hint of premature balding starting to show at the temples. He was average looking with a terrific smile that warmed his looks up quickly.

"I've been _dying_ to meet the girl that has straightened this guy out!" he told her warmly.

She grinned and looked at Noah. "I don't know about that, Mark, but I think it's lovely to meet you also."

Puck and Mark exchanged conspiratorial grins, and they unloaded some bags.

"Good day?" she heard Noah ask quietly.

"Uh, okay," Mark answered.

The exchange left Rachel wondering what they were talking about, and she made a mental note to ask Noah later.

They went through the house directly to the deck out back. Karen and the kids were there, so after a quick introduction, Noah left her in a chair next to Karen and sought the kids.

"Uncle Puck!" screamed David. "Will you play football with me?"

Puck looked to Rachel and she nodded slightly, so he grabbed the little boy up and took him into the yard to play catch. Rachel realized she'd never seen him with kids, and he was amazing. Her stomach flipped a little watching him with David. David was full of a four-year-old's boasting, and Puck only encouraged him. Mark was taking the little girl, Courtney, to the swing set to push her on the swing. She was a blond, curly-haired cutie who was pretty shy with Rachel.

"Do you want to lie out in the sun, Rachel? Did you bring a suit?" asked Karen. Karen was a tall redhead- not unlike Jean in looks, though Rachel thought her beauty was less severe.

"I did. I'm okay with whatever. Can you lie out when you're pregnant?"

"I can for a little while. I'll show you where to change."

When Rachel returned she was wearing a conservative one-piece and went directly to the chair next to Karen. Puck noticed her suit and raised an eyebrow at her, but she ignored him. She put on some lotion and relaxed next to Karen. She filled Karen in on her background and new job while they sipped drinks by the pool. Karen made margaritas, virgin for herself, and the real deal for Rachel.

"Be careful. You have no idea what margaritas do to my girl here," Puck called to Karen.

"Only things you love, I'm sure!" retorted Karen.

Puck smiled. "You're right. Keep 'em coming!"

Rachel, Mark, and Karen laughed. David had long since tired of playing football and decided to get out his mini golf clubs so Puck had moved on to that. Again, Rachel's stomach flip-flopped watching him be so patient with the little boy. When his sister came running over, Puck grabbed her and twirled her around.

"How's Princess Courtney today?" He kissed the top of her head and showed her how to hit the ball with the club.

"Her can't do it. Hers a baby." Informed David importantly.

"Not a baby!" Courtney asserted.

"Hey, do you guys want to go swimming?"

When they both screamed yes, Mark took them into the house to change and Puck followed to get his own suit on.

Karen turned to Rachel, "Isn't he amazing with my kids? They just adore him!"

Rachel nodded, uncomfortable even talking about it. Her stomach was still somersaulting over the connection he had with those kids.

"So, how's your pregnancy going? Are you feeling well?"

Karen blanched. "Actually, this pregnancy is nothing like my other two. I can't believe how sick I've been, run-down and puking most of the time. If I'd had this one first, I might not have had the other two. It's been an awful time."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Do you think it's more exhaustion from taking care of the other two kids all day?"

"Maybe. I feel guilty even complaining. I'm thrilled to be pregnant, and nothing's wrong with the baby, but… I'm just miserable this time around. In addition to the sickness, I'm just so moody all the time. Mark's walking on eggshells around me, and the kids… I'm just not myself with them either."

Rachel heard the desperation in her voice. This was a woman on the edge. "Have you considered putting the kids in daycare for a little bit?"

Karen looked at her, annoyed. "Rachel, I don't work. I'm a stay-at-home mom."

Rachel persisted, "No, really. I mean, you said you're not yourself with them. You're run-down and tired. Maybe it would be better for you and them if they went to daycare for a few hours a week- just to give you time for a nap, running errands, or whatever."

Karen cocked her head to the side. "What would people think about that? I mean, my whole job is to take care of the kids, if I'm not even doing that…" her voice trailed off uncertainly.

Rachel snorted. "Seriously, you're worried about what some jealous mom is going to think? If you can afford it, and it's going to help you be a better mom… why not do it? The kids might even like being around other kids a bit!"

Karen tilted her head to the side, mulling the idea over in her mind, "Maybe… it's something to think about at least."

Puck returned with his suit on and a towel in his hand. "So what's with the suit? Where's triangles?"

She glared at him, "I have several suits, Noah."

Karen looked at her appreciatively, "Yes, Rachel, I appreciate that you're not wearing some tiny bikini to the humongous pregnant woman's house. That was very considerate of you," she looked down her nose at Puck, "even if your boyfriend doesn't appreciate the lines of a conservative one-piece."

Puck laughed. " 'S not so much that I don't appreciate it… as the other one was more… fun!"

"PG. Keep it PG around my kids!" Karen wagged a warning finger at Puck.

He laughed again. When Courtney came out, she went to her mom to get lotioned up again, and Puck went in the water.

"Is Rachel coming to the work cook-out on Thursday?"

Puck looked at Rachel, "I don't know. I haven't asked her yet."

Karen glared at Puck. "Why not? You need to give her a chance to work it in her schedule!"

Rachel must have made a face because Karen narrowed her gaze at her.

"Rachel, we're having a cook out at the park on Lake Michigan Thursday night. It's a work picnic for Memorial Day weekend. Can you come?"

Rachel actually had some stuff to do for the show, but after seeing Jean in action this weekend, she felt it was important to let her presence be felt more- a lot more!

"I think I can make it work." She told him. Courtney chose that moment to jump in and splashed Puck. She was wearing swimmies, but he chased her around pretending to be mad that she got him wet.

David and Mark came out and lotioned up before joining the other two in the pool. David was a great swimmer and begged his mom and Rachel to come in until they relented and joined everyone in the pool.

Puck did most of the grilling while Mark entertained the kids. Karen and Rachel went into the house and moved the other food to bowls and trays so they could eat out on the deck. By the end of dinner, Rachel felt like she had met a really good friend. While it was true, she hadn't talked to Mark a whole lot, she had spent the entire time chatting with Karen and getting to know her. At one point, she had even confided the horrors of the weekend with his mom. Karen had been so supportive of the nasty side of Jean.

"Good thing you're going to the picnic on Thursday."

"Yeah," groused Rachel, not sure how she was going to make that work.

"And Rachel, make sure that Jean, and everyone else, knows exactly what Puck sees in you. Rub it in a little."

Rachel looked at her, surprised. "Really?"

Karen narrowed her gaze, "Oh, yes. Believe me, I've had my fair share of women making a move on my man- especially while I'm pregnant!"

Rachel was horrified. "While pregnant? Really?"

"Well, we've always had people who think I only worked there to get into bed with the boss."

They were interrupted by the guys then, calling to them, so they didn't finish the conversation. When the kids were clearly dragging and not about to go to bed with Uncle Puck there, they made their move to leave.

"I had a wonderful time, thank you!" The women hugged goodbye and she noticed a look of appreciation pass between Noah and Mark.

On the way home, they were pretty quiet, tired from the day, just commenting on some of the funny antics of the kids. Finally, Rachel asked the question that had bothered her all day.

"What did you ask Mark when we first got there?"

Noah flushed guiltily. "I don't remember."

"Yes, you do." She pressed. "You asked something about the day or something."

"Well," Puck waffled, "it's just that this pregnancy hasn't been so good for Karen, and… she's not herself…." He let the explanation trail off then.

"Oh, she mentioned that."

"She did?" He was surprised. Usually Karen didn't open up to people she didn't know well. "You two seemed to hit it off."

Rachel smiled. "We did. I really like your friends. Their kids are adorable, and I LOVED how good you were with them."

Puck smiled broadly, "Aren't they great kids? They are so damn cute! I can't wait to prove I'm right with the third."

"What are you talking about?"

"I've predicted the sex correctly for the other two," he told her proudly.

"Really? How?"

He looked down then, so she knew something was up. "I just know."

"How?"

"It's all to do with the position when they conceive see? When they did it doggy-style= boy! Girl on top = girl."

She hit him in the shoulder. "How would you know that?"

He shrugged. "I know stuff. We're close friends. Mark likes to brag… what can I say?"

She hit him again. When he got closer to the city, she asked him to drop her off at her place since she had early morning commitments.

"No." he said flatly.

She startled. "What? Noah, I have to get up early for an interview. I can't stay here tonight."

"No." he said again, jutting his marvelous jaw out a little.

"Seriously, Noah, I need to go home."

"Rachel, I haven't slept next to you in forever. I got you here, and I'm not going to take you home tonight. I'll even _try _to keep my hands off you so you can sleep. I'll set my alarm for whatever god-awful time you need to get up and run you home in the morning, but I want to be with you tonight. Please."

He was so adorable, how could she possibly say no to that. So they trudged up to his apartment, she grabbed one of his t-shirts to throw on, and climbed under the covers. He checked his messages and joined her shortly after. When she felt his fingers trailing up her thigh she reminded him of his promise to keep his hands off her so she could sleep.

"I only said I'd try, and I did. It didn't work."

He flipped her over and made good on his offer to make it worth her while. He even got up at 4:30 a.m. to run her home without complaint. She kissed him goodbye and told him to have a good day.

********* And about noon that day…

Puck was totally surprised to see Rachel pushing the door to his office open. She was wearing a sexy red top with short white shorts. Her smiled was broad, and she tossed her hair back a little as she strode in.

"Rachel! What a surprise! What are you doing here?"

"Well… I missed you," she licked her lips and locked eyes with him.

"Oh, well, I'm glad you came by, but I do have a lunch meeting."

She stood in front of him where he sat at his desk and leaned in close to kiss him, rubbing her nipples against him as she ran her tongue over his lips. He swallowed.

"Noah, I just _needed_ to see you right now. I'm positively _aching_ for you." Rachel tried not to laugh at the words. To her ears, she sounded like a bad porno, but she knew that men took the words differently.

"Feel this." She told him, grabbing his hand and bringing it to her breast to feel her heart racing. "I can't help what you do to me."

He swallowed again, licking his lips. She reached to the side of his neck to kiss behind his ear. He groaned, noticing the door was still open.

He stalked to the door and called to his secretary, "Cancel my lunch with Jean. Something came up."

Puck closed and locked the door and went back to the chair. Rachel looked at the tell-tale bulge in his pants and giggled, "Something _definitely_ came up, Noah."

His eyes smoldered over hers. He kissed her hard and started undoing her top. When he freed her breasts from the confines of her bra, he pinched the nipples and stroked them. Her head fell back, moaning at his touch. With her hand, she reached to undo his pants and started to stroke him beneath the waistband of his boxer briefs.

He kissed her hard, sliding a finger through the leg opening of her shorts. She was wet.

"Damn, you're wet, babe."

"You made me that wet."

He got harder, and started to take her shorts off. "Damn it. I don't have anything here. Do you happen to…?"

She deftly reached into her purse and pulled out a condom wrapper, purchased especially for him in the XL size. He smiled gratefully when he saw it and took it from her. He put it on and parted her legs on the edge of his desk. He thrust into her, and she clenched around him tightly, moaning again. He groaned back at her and realized that he almost always initiated the sex so this surprise was especially welcome.

He thrust in and out of her, working her over with his fingers too until she clenched so hard there was nothing he could do but explode himself as well. When they returned from the ecstasy, he grabbed some Kleenex to clean up with and disposed of the condom.

"Damn, Rach. That was an amazing surprise. You never start the sex."

She looked at him and laughed, "To be honest, you don't give me a chance to before you start it."

He nodded his agreement. It was true. She got dressed, and he sat back in his chair, exhausted.

"Now my office is going to smell like sex all afternoon."

She smiled. She knew that. She kissed him goodbye, told him she'd see him tomorrow and strutted out of the office. As luck would have it, Jean was standing by his secretary's desk when Rachel turned to blow a kiss goodbye to a very rumpled looking Puck.

"See ya, Jen!" she said, nodding at the viper on her way out, smiling smugly, not at all ashamed of having dirty office sex when everyone knew it. In fact, she relished letting Jean know it.

**AN: Hope you liked Rachel's revenge!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Glee Disclaimer: Fox owns Glee and its characters. I am just enjoying the Puckleberry juice they tease us with and heartlessly ripped away.**

**Mark Salling: Can't stop obsessing. Just need more… and more… and more…**

**Author's Note: Speaking of obsessing, I'm also one of those crazy authors who posts a story and obsessively checks for reviews. Like every 10 minutes- or 5! Once I finally fall asleep, I wake up after a few hours and check again. It's a sickness. SO… like Emma Pillsbury washes her grapes, I check for reviews. And reread. And reload. And recheck. THANK YOU to those of you who help me by sending me wonderful reviews, letting me know what you like and what's working. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'm sure I'll get better. No, really. **

**Seriously, SPECIAL thanks to those of you who have reviewed and favorited/alerted. I NEED feedback and adore you for your help!**

**************** Story will start. ******************

So the rest of the week flew by. Val took her out Monday night for celebratory drinks (revenge on Jean) and to rehash the weekend with Puck's mom and the progress she and Antonio were making in their relationship.

"Girl, I can't believe you pulled off such a bitch move without even so much as a pep talk from yours truly!"

Val high-fived her.

Rachel smiled, feeling a little embarrassed now that it was all over. It seemed a tad juvenile.

"Oh, no, you don't! I will NOT allow you to regret your revenge on that evil ho!"

Val knew just what to say. They were finishing their drinks when Val asked about Thursday's picnic.

"Wait a minute. You're going? I thought it was a work picnic." Clearly Rachel was confused.

"It is. Antonio works for Puck. You knew that, right?"

"Actually, no, I didn't. I don't think anyone ever mentioned it. But that's good. I might need you for moral support at the picnic."

"Oh, no, you don't. We're going to have a great time. Just wear a bikini, and we're good."

"A bikini? Do you think that that's a good idea for a work picnic? I thought maybe a little more conservative attire."

"Rachel, you'll wear shorts and stuff too. The bikini is just for water play. You might want to go into the lake and all."

That was pretty much what Karen had suggested.

********* Thursday evening…

Rachel wasn't going to make it on time. She'd had to juggle too many things to make this work, and she'd emailed Noah to let him know she'd be there but a little late. When she walked up to the group playing volleyball, he already had his shirt off. Jean was right next to him, wearing a tiny bikini top with her ample cleavage spilling out. Rachel set her jaw and made her way over to Val and Antonio who were on the sidelines watching. Noah waved, but they were midgame, so he couldn't stop to greet her properly.

"So… is Red Barbie a piece of work or what?" said Val.

Antonio just raised his eyebrows at the girls. "Ummm, I'm going to go get some more beer. Rachel, what do you want?"

She asked him for a glass of sangria. She needed something to soothe her frazzled nerves. Damn if Noah wasn't completely gorgeous with a light sheen of sweat covering his torso. Those guns of his were a thing of beauty, and she felt the blood pooling in her nether regions just at the sight of them. She couldn't peel her eyes off him, and it seemed to her, in just a few short minutes, Jean seemed to brush her tits over his arms way too much.

"Has this been going on all night?" she asked Val as Antonio returned with the drinks.

"Pretty much," she said.

Rachel's eyes flashed, and she downed the drink Antonio had just brought her. She stomped off in the direction he had just come to refill her drink and get away from the slut who was practically gyrating on her boyfriend. Mark was there so she chatted with him for a few minutes, but he told her Karen wasn't feeling well and had bowed out for the night. He also thanked her for encouraging Karen to seek part-time daycare for the kids and said they were looking at some nearby preschools.

When she returned with two drinks, she caught Noah's look as he tried to figure out why she was a two-fisted drinker when she'd just arrived at the party. He had to keep his eye on the game though because the level of play was intense, and the girls on his team sucked. Jean was trying her best. She'd just fallen in front of him, so he pulled her up, but she lost her balance and slammed against his chest. He grabbed her, settling her with his arms wrapped around her.

"It's time for a dip, Val." Rachel announced. With that, she peeled off the blouse and shorts she had on and pranced to the edge of the lake. She was wearing the "triangles" suit Noah admired so in Vegas. As she stripped off her clothing, every man on the beach felt his eyes being drawn to her. The volleyball game came to an abrupt stop as it landed smack next to one of the realtors who worked for Noah. His chin had fallen as he stared at the girl with the amazing body. She went straight into the water and splashed around a little, not letting her suit get wet. Val joined her in the water laughing at the stir Rachel had created.

Antonio called out to Val and motioned with his cup so they could go for a walk. Rachel swallowed, irritated with her friend for bailing on her. She started back to the beach and noticed Noah waiting for her with a towel.

"Hey, beautiful," he said tightly, kissing her and wrapping the towel around her.

"Noah!" she returned, genuinely surprised to see him. It looked like the intense volleyball game was still going, but Mark was filling in for him.

"Oh, you can finish your game."

"Don't want to. I'm afraid if I leave you unattended for long one of these fuckers will make a play for you right in front of me, and I'll have to punch him out. From there, it could get ugly."

She laughed. He looked at her, dead serious.

"What are you talking about, Noah?"

"Rachel, do you not see the trail of drool these fuckers have hanging from their chins at the sight of you in that bathing suit?"

Rachel looked around. So did Puck. He chased away a few stares, but she actually got a few smiles. Some of the clearly married men had the sense to look down, but there were men staring at her. She shrugged.

"I guess you were right about this suit."

"Yeah, so do you have to wear it in public?" he whined.

"Noah, you didn't complain in Vegas."

"I didn't work with those assholes and know how damn impure their thoughts were. These dickheads I know."

He practically spat the words out and gazed levelly at her.

She giggled. He just looked at her. "Can you put your top on or something?"

"No."

"Why the hell not?"

"Jean isn't wearing a top and she's playing volleyball."

"What the hell does Jean have to do with anything? Jean's not my girlfriend. I could give a fuck if anyone stares at Jean. You, I don't want them ogling."

"I'm sure it will be fine, Noah. You're just overreacting."

He shook his head, irritated with her. It was such a simple thing. Why couldn't she just do this for him? He took her to the table where the food was and they got plates of food and sat down. He sat on the outside of her, trying to limit the view since she'd chosen to sit on the towel he'd brought her. The volleyball game ended, and Mark came to sit across from them.

"Watch your fucking eyes," said Noah when Mark's eyes dropped too low during the conversation.

Rachel put a hand on his knee, "Noah!" she admonished.

Mark turned red, and locked eyes with Rachel as they spoke. "Don't worry. He's never been jealous before and doesn't know how to handle it."

She smiled. Noah looked around and mouthed "Fucker" to Mark who just smirked back at him.

Mark left shortly after that and Puck whispered in her ear, close to her neck, "Damn it, Rach, put some clothes on."

Unfortunately, Rachel had continued to drink and was feeling very brave now.

"I don't think so, Noah. I really just want to enjoy the warm weather. Besides, as I recall, you really liked the suit last time, which proved to be beneficial for me in the end. Maybe I really like how it affects you."

He sighed. "I'm too pissed to get hard tonight, Rachel. All these assholes keep eye-fucking you and imagining you naked. I'm in fucking hell."

She leaned in close and whispered, "I bet I could get you hard even if you are pissed."

She stood up then and walked to where she'd noticed Val and Antonio standing. They were talking with a group of men, and Rachel stood by them to chat, still wearing the skimpy bikini. Puck stalked up to her and stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her, hugging her from behind. She shot him an irritated look over her shoulder, but kept his arms wrapped around her.

Mark came up and whispered something to Puck. Puck excused himself to talk with Mark. Rachel looked back and saw the concern and frustration on his face. He kept running his hand through his hair and looking up by the parking lot. Finally, she decided she needed to help him with whatever was going on.

"Noah, is something wrong?" she asked as she approached him.

"Well, yeah. One of the interns is sick. She had way too much to drink, and now she's throwing up."

She looked at him and waited for more. "So… she's a big girl. Get her a cab and send her home."

Puck looked at her, annoyed. "Rachel, this is a work party. We're responsible for everyone here. We have to make sure everyone gets home safely. Mark had called her a cab, but she started throwing up just as the cab pulled up, so the driver refused the fare and said he would red flag the stop for everyone else."

"Oh, well. Can't someone else take her home?"

"Which one of our employees can we ask to risk puke in their car?"

"I see. That is a problem. Have either of you been drinking? Maybe one of you could run her home."

Noah shook his head slightly. "Of course we haven't been drinking. We're at a work function. No… it's just that… we've always kept an unofficial policy not to be alone with any female coworker so that… nothing could be implied that didn't happen."

Her mouth dropped open. "You're never alone with any woman at work?"

"Not if we're not in public. We decided after Mark and Karen got together that we didn't want to risk anything. We don't exactly announce it; we just don't do it."

Rachel reached up to kiss him lightly. He looked at her with surprise. "I'll go with you."

"You will?" he said, shocked. He hadn't thought of that. "I hate to ask you to leave the party." He was thoroughly unconvincing on the last part with that huge smile on his face.

"Thank you so much, Rachel." Mark said quietly.

So they took the drunk girl home. Rachel held a bag for her in Noah's car. The girl had tears on her face as she puked into the bag while in her boss's car with his girlfriend. When they dropped her off to her roommate, the roomie promised to take care of her the rest of the night.

As they drove back to the party, Rachel once again clad in a top and shorts, her hand found its way to his upper thigh.

"So, Noah, you're always in control at these parties?"

He smiled. "I think it would be pretty inappropriate if I weren't."

"So when do you let loose, relax, and allow yourself to be out of control?"

"With you."

"I don't think so. At least not yet. But you're going to. Which leads me to: when are you going to open your other birthday gift?"


	17. Chapter 17

**Glee Disclaimer: Glee and its characters belong to Fox. Ryan Murphy is an evil genius who periodically teases me with a hint of Puckleberry. Good girl loves bad boy is a page from my own life, though no doubt this would end better.**

**Mark Salling: Why, oh, why must you continue to wear shirts this season? It's so WRONG! And, I want things to be "right"! (For the sake of the show and all…)**

**Author's Note: SO sorry I didn't update on Wednesday as planned. I don't know if I was fighting off an illness or something, but… massive sleep needs took over. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I love getting your reviews. Thanks so much!**

**And… I have neither given nor received such a birthday gift as this…**

******************** Story will start. ********************

Puck parked the car along the beach and saw that the party was indeed winding down. He was relieved because it was seriously time to get Rachel back to his place. They got out of the car and walked over to the picnic area to help clean up.

Jean stumbled over, now wearing a sarong around her waist, with the bikini top still in "place" precariously around her massive breasts.

"Puck," she squealed, putting a hand on his forearm. "I'm so glad you're back." She leaned drunkenly closer to him.

"Jean. You alright?" asked Puck, looking around for Mark.

"Well, actually," she giggled, "I think I'm too tipsy to drive. I was wondering if you could give me a ride."

Rachel huffed at her double entendre. No doubt she meant it the way it sounded. Jean giggled again and brought her hand to her lips, as if shocked she would say anything like that to her boss.

"Well, Jean… I… don't know if that will work out," Puck finally made eye contact with Mark, who came running over.

"Jean, I just called a cab for you. We didn't want to worry about you getting home safely, so we'll leave it to the professionals."

"Oh," Jean pouted, clearly disappointed. "I guess that would be okay."

Puck nodded to Mark, who took Jean by the elbow and steered her up to the parking lot where the cabs he had called for would be parked.

'I.O.U.' Rachel mouthed to Mark. Mark nodded back to her.

Puck and Rachel finished packing things up, with Puck carrying all the heavy stuff back to his car. While he was gone, one of the drunken guys, Tim, came up to hug Rachel and tell her how nice it was to meet her. Puck hurried back, gently grabbed Tim by the shoulder and told him to stop mauling his girl. Tim stumbled to the parking lot with the others.

Rachel laughed. "Really, Noah. You're overly dramatic. Tim was just being polite."

"Feeling you up is not polite, Rach. Tim's a self-serving, horny bastard. Trust me. I know him."

"I thought you said he was a great guy."

"He is. When you're not around."

Rachel rolled her eyes at him, and finished folding the tablecloth on the table. They put the last of the things in Noah's car and waved goodbye to Mark and the others who were heading out as well.

Rachel chatted away about inconsequential things on the ride home. Puck put in the appropriate "mmm-hmmms" and a few idle comments, but mostly he listened to her prattle away. When they returned to Puck's place, Rachel started to grab some of the things from the car, but he stopped her with his hand on her arm.

"Let's take care of these things tomorrow. I don't feel like dragging all these things up right now."

Rachel looked at him in surprise. Usually Noah was one who liked to put away everything immediately. She knew he had a cleaning lady for the apartment, but she attributed that to a lack of time more than she did anything else. He was pretty fastidious, and she found that a big turn-on.

When they got to the apartment, he brought her around to the couch and put her in his lap, but turned her to look at him.

"Rachel, will you explain to me what was going on with you tonight? Why wouldn't you put your clothes back on when I asked you to?"

She swallowed and looked him in the eye. "I'm not sure, to be honest. There are a lot of reasons I didn't. One, I guess it reminded me a little of my ex and how controlling he was about what I did."

"Rachel, I am not that asshole."

"I know, Noah. That's not all of it. And… and… the alcohol probably didn't help any."

He called her bluff and maintained eye contact with her while he waited for more.

"And, it seems like Jean is always hanging on you, and I can't stand the way she is always rubbing up against you, and… I… I just hate that double-D bitch!."

Noah laughed and pulled her tightly into his arms to nuzzle her neck.

"Seriously, Rach. Why would _you_ be threatened by her? Why would _you _be threatened by anyone? You're Rachel fucking Berry, and you are the most amazing, hot, sexy woman I've ever met. I've been half in love with you since high school, and I'm falling more in love with you every day. You have _nothing _to worry about with Jean or any other woman. You're it. You fucking own my ass!"

Rachel melted into his kiss. Her lips sought his, and his tongue slid into her mouth, dueling with her.

"Noah, I…"

"Rach, I know you're not ready to handle this yet. It's okay. Wait to say it when you're sure. I'm okay waiting for you. I know you care."

He continued making out with her, and when she started removing his shirt, he led her into the bedroom. When she saw the bag on his dresser she let out a squeal of delight.

"Oh, no! With… everything going on, I almost forgot. You still need to open your last present from me. I really want to use it tonight."

He grinned at her, having already snooped through the bag.

"Okay. I do too!"

She grabbed the bag and dropped it into his lap. He tossed the tissue paper aside and reached in the bag to pull out some silk scarves.

"I take it these are for me to tie you up and have my way with you?" He announced with a lecherous grin as he pushed her back on the bed.

"Sort of." She replied, pushing him off her and sitting up.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"They're for me to tie _you_ up and have my way with _you!" _

"Oh, Rach. I don't think I'd like that. I think I should tie you up, and do what I want with you. That sounds like a lot more fun."

"Noah," she said, straddling his lap and pushing him back against the bed. "I'm not saying we can't **ever** do your thing, but I don't want to tonight. You are **always **in control, and you need to let someone else take control once in a while. It's not good to have that much stress in your life."

He pulled her to him for another kiss. "Babe, you always help me relieve stress. Let's try it my favorite way, right now."

Rachel shook her head. "Nope. Not tonight, Puckerman. I'm in charge of this event. We're either doing this _my way or not at all!"_

She looked down at him firmly, and he wanted to call her bluff because, seriously, he could totally own her ass and make her see reason with just a touch here and a kiss there, but he just wanted to make her happy. With a sigh, he held his hands up in mock surrender and mumbled something about fulfilling her every fantasy.

"Strip first, Puckerman." She said to him in a commanding voice.

He quickly stripped down to nothing, enjoying how she never took her eyes off him. That lustful look on her face made every moment in the gym worth it to him. He loved knowing how hot for him she was.

When he was standing before her, naked and hard, she motioned for him to move to the middle of the bed, where she took a wrist and tied it to each side of the bed gently, so that he could easily move slightly.

"Tell me if it gets uncomfortable," she told him.

"It's uncomfortable," he said, looking down to his erection.

She smiled and started taking off her shorts and top. When she was in her triangles bikini, he licked his lips.

"Oh, we should probably blindfold you too."

"No." he told her.

"Noah. Just try it. Please. You might really like it."

"No. If I'm going to go without touching you, then I've got to be able to see you at least. I'll try the blindfold thing sometime when I'm not tied up- maybe. You have no idea how tortuous this is for me not to touch you. I love to touch your body, Rach." His voice was almost a whimper on the last part.

Rachel twirled around in front of him. "See, I knew you liked this suit. And that," she said motioning to his twitching erection, "just proves it."

"Yeah, it's fucking awesome when it's just the two of us. Not in front of all those dickheads I work with!"

She ignored his comment and stripped off the bikini, letting it fall to the floor. She climbed onto him and ran her wet slit over his penis, letting him feel how wet she was. He groaned in response, pulling at his ties, aching to touch her for himself.

When she pressed her whole body to his, she started to lick at his neck, kissing and licking slowly around his face.

"Mmmmm, Noah. The things I'm going to do to you. With my hands. With my tongue."

"Fuck, Rach. Can we stop this now? I need to use my hands on you. I've got to feel your body." He lowered his voice suggestively, "You'll like what I do to you with my hands. I promise."

She shook her head, almost as if to convince herself. Then she reached a hand out to start stroking him. She ran her fingernails up and down his length, balls to tip, and then raked her nails over his balls.

"Ugh-gump."

"See. You like it when I'm the one in control." She purred into his ear. "Watch what I can do to you."

She lowered her mouth to him, moving her whole body down so she could look up at him with his dick in her mouth. He swallowed.

"Fuck, Rach. Don't play dirty now."

She smiled up at him and swallowed around him, shoving him all the way to the back of her throat and swallowing again. His body came up off the bed, responding to her amazing mouth. He was grateful his legs weren't tied as well.

"Damn it, Rachel. Let me taste you. You know you want to ride my mouth too."

She closed her eyes and tried not to think about his words even as liquid heat pooled in her nether regions.

"Rachel, bring it up here. Let me get you off. I want to taste you so bad."

She shook her head, remembering her mission.

"You want a _taste, _Noah? I'll give you a taste."

His broad smile at her acquiescence, disappeared when she reached a finger between her own legs, letting it disappear inside her and brought it out glistening with her desire. Then she ran that same finger over his lips, allowing him to lick her juices off her finger even as he groaned in dismay at not having more of her.

"I fucking love your Berry juice."

She smiled and put his dick back in her mouth, swallowing around it and feeling it hit the back of her throat again. She stroked it with her tongue, over and over, swiping and swirling around the head until he begged her to stop, and she could feel the tightening of his balls in her hands.

She reached into the nightstand and grabbed a condom, skillfully running it over him and adjusting the end to accommodate his forthcoming climax. Then she climbed up onto his lap again and guided it in her, until she was fully seated. She rocked back and forth quietly, kissing him gently and more passionately as she went.

"Damn it, Rach. This isn't fun. It sucks not being able to feel your tits as you ride me. I need to use my hands."

"Tell me what to do," she whispered as she rose up to a sitting position over him, still impaled and rocking gently back and forth.

When he saw her hands cupping her breasts, he understood what she was asking.

"Stroke the nipples, slow and sensuous, bring them out to play and work them."

She complied, throwing back her head at the sensation. Fuck, he wasn't going to last pulling this shit with her. She was too much.

"Bring them to me for a taste."

She hesitated, unsure if she should or not. Instead, she reached behind her and stroked his balls again with her hands.

"Rach, please. I can't last much longer. I've got to get you off too. Let me use my hands on you now, so you can come with me."

"Tell me."

He groaned. "Put a finger on your clit now. Stroke it gently, use small circles. Not too much pressure. Keep going. When you feel it go liquid, press harder. There. Yes."

Her own finger was between her legs as he thrust up into her from below.

"Go faster. More. Go faster. Work it, babe." He choked out.

"Oh, god. Noah. Oh, god, Noah. I'm going to…" Her head fell back hard, and she went completely slack against him, and he thrust hard up into her, spurting into the condom and falling back, exhausted onto the bed.

"Now take these fucking things off me, so I can hold you." He said quietly, while she tried to catch her breath, chest heaving.

When she untied him, he removed the condom and went to the bathroom to take care of it, and clean up. She followed him and cleaned herself up. When they got back into bed, he pulled her to him, rubbing her body everywhere his hands could reach.

"Never again."

"You didn't like that, Noah?"

"I fucking loved it in a way, but I can't handle not touching you." He kissed her neck. "I can completely handle watching you get yourself off though."

"Oh, you should come by on Tuesday nights then," she said, and laughed.

His jaw dropped. The thing was, he wasn't entirely sure she was joking. His dick went hard again. This time, he used his hands everywhere, touching her whole body, the whole time.

************** **Author's Note**

**I hope nobody was disappointed in the simplicity of the gift. I have to say, some of you expected a whole lot more!**

**And, I didn't intend for Noah to reveal his feelings here, but it just seemed to fit. I hope you thought it worked as well.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Glee Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Glee. Sigh.**

**Mark Salling: I had hoped for *ahem* bigger ideas for Puck this season. Didn't pan out. Season 3? We're ON!**

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading this story. I've had much more response to this story than the others, and I'm going crazy reading and rereading and checking out reviews trying to figure out why. I'm still not sure what's different… but thanks for reading! I am having so much fun doing this FF thing!**

************** Story will start. **************************

The next night Puck's band was performing at another dive bar, so Val and Rachel were there to watch. She loved watching him sing and offered to take him to the backroom for an encore performance of last night, but he delicately declined her offer.

"Later, babe. When we have time and privacy."

She licked her lips in anticipation, her eyes slightly glazed over with her buzz. She'd dance it off later, but for now she was enjoying throwing them back.

Puck and Antonio made their way back to the stage. Break was over. When she looked up, Puck had the microphone and was reeling the crowd in with his melodic voice. When he finished the song, he thanked the crowd and introduced the band.

"I also want to introduce a very special girl in my life, my girl, Rachel Berry, soon-to-be host of a new Chicago talk show starting this September. Tune in then. For now, tune in here and help me get her up to sing. She's got some pipes!"

Rachel looked around, startled. They had never even discussed singing together, and she didn't even know what he wanted to sing with her. She didn't exactly have a country repertoire.

Val pushed her toward the stage. The crowd roared their approval, and Rachel kept her eyes focused on Puck. If he wanted to sing with her, she was not about to turn him down.

"What are we going to sing?" she whispered.

"How about 'Need You Now', like we did in high school?"

She nodded. They sang the song to perfection, and the crowd adored it. She wandered back to her table, all smiley and happy after singing to Noah on stage. For Rachel, singing together was like foreplay. Now, she just needed to get him to a room where she could have her way with him.

Back on the stage, Puck was singing a Kid Rock song.

"God Bless Saturday", Kid Rock

In the justle and grind, workin' 9 to 9  
Losin' my mind, watchin' Father Time  
It's the same ole same, this ball and chain  
With only one day to ease my pain  
Cuz Monday's just a bitch  
Tuesday's such a bother  
Wednesday's like watchin' dead flowers grow  
Thursday ain't for shit  
Friday's getting hotter  
But on Saturday night you know  
We let it rock  
And keep the drinks pourin'  
We let it roll  
Until the early morning  
We're underpaid, but we still give tanks and praise  
God bless Saturday  
They tell me I'm livin' the American dream  
Just workin' for the man  
But 52 hours in a stamping plant  
Sometimes I don't understand  
Cuz Monday's just a bitch  
Tuesday's such a bother  
Wednesday's like watchin' dead flowers grow  
Thursday ain't for shit  
Friday's getting hotter  
But on Saturday night you know  
We let it rick  
And keep the drinks pourin'  
We let it roll  
Until the early morning  
We're underpaid, but we still give thanks and praise  
God bless Saturday

The crowd was into it. Apparently a few girls were as appreciative of Puck's voice as she was, because she noticed them drop business cards up on the stage. Puck ignored them, but it reminded her how hot he was, that if she was going to be with him, she would always have that. Girls would always be going after him, girls like Jean and these groupies. She sighed, and took a long swig of her drink.

"What'sa matter?" asked Val. "You look like someone just ran over your puppy?"

Rachel motioned up to the stage. "He's too hot. He's always going to have women chasing after him."

"So?" asked Val, confused. "In case you haven't noticed, the only one _he_ ever chases after is you. That's all you have to worry about. Keep him chasing." She laughed and knocked glasses with Rachel.

"To us. Those hot men in that band want us, and we want them! Life is _good!"_

Rachel smiled. Val always made everything seem so simple. Puck locked eyes with her just then, and she mouthed "I wanna fuck you!" to him. He grinned.

"So, Rachel, I told Antonio I love him."

"What?" Rachel shrieked. Val _never_ used the L word. Ever. As far as Rachel knew, Val had never been in love before. This was completely unusual.

"I know. It's only been a few weeks, but… this is amazing. It's never been like this. I've never wanted to be with anyone like this before. I want it all with him. Every minute I'm not with him, I think about him. I'm one of those sick little girls who goes all weak-in-the-knees at the sight of her guy. Yuck. But damn-it- I love it!"

Rachel swallowed her drink. Her head was spinning while listening to Val. "Val, I'm so happy for you."

Val smiled back at her. "Thanks. I know. I'm not the girly kind who falls so hard like this, but… I don't know. This is the real deal. He's amazing."

The girls danced the rest of the night away until the band called it quits and packed things up. She was still trying to wrap her head around Val's declaration of love. It was hard to swallow. Too much at once. It had only been a few weeks. But… she was happy for Val. She just hoped Val didn't get hurt.

After a quiet ride back to his place, Puck led her by the hand to the couch. She looked at him, surprised.

"What's on your mind, Rachel?"

She looked up, surprised. "Nothing. I mean nothing's wrong or anything… how did you know?"

He chuckled. "Rachel, you think that I don't know you? That I don't _watch_ you? You were great at the bar- giggly, drunk, ready to fuck me after we sang together and then you got all contemplative and quiet. I just want to know what happened."

She looked at him, surprised again by how well he read her in such a short amount of time.

"Oh, Noah, it's nothing wrong. Val was just telling me how serious she and Antonio are, and it surprised me… I mean, they haven't been dating long- and- Val's just never, I mean she's not normally so into relationships, and… I didn't know she would be like this."

"Don't you like Antonio?" he asked quietly.

"Well, no, that's not it. I like him just fine. It's Val. I'm not sure she's the same person with him. I'm worried she's going to get hurt."

"Is she happy?"

"Yes, I've never seen her happier."

"Is she changing for him or because of him?"

Rachel thought about it. "I guess because of him."

"Then I guess you should just be happy for her and not worry about it."

She smiled at him and began to kiss him. "You are so smart, Noah. How did you learn so much about women?"

"Cosmo!" he joked. She smacked him, and he corrected with, "I lived with two women my whole life- my sister and my mother."

She started to kiss him, and he kissed her back, tenderly. He pulled her up from the couch and was leading her back to the bedroom when her cell phone rang. She frowned, wondering who would call her at 1 a.m. and reached for it from her purse.

"It's Olivia, my friend I'm subletting from."

He nodded and walked back to the kitchen to get a glass of water. He got one for her as well and added a slice of lemon like she liked.

"No, no problem, Olivia. I was up anyway. What? Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. Uh. No. A week? Ummm. No, I'm sure it will be no problem. I understand. I'm sure I'll be able to find something. Yeah, it's okay. I knew that going into this. An actor's life is never stable. I get it. It's really okay. I'm so sorry this happened to you."

Rachel shut the phone down and Puck looked up at her questioningly.

"Olivia's show has been cancelled. She's coming back to Chicago."

Puck nodded, wondering why this was so upsetting to Rachel. Seemed like she'd want to see her friend again.

"Noah, I need to find a new place to live in a week!" her voice rose a full octave in her nervousness. "Can you help me?"

He put an arm around her and pulled her to him.

"Of course, Rach. I've got the perfect place for you."

"You do?" she looked at him, blinking back watery eyes.

"Yep. I think I have the perfect spot for you. Move in here, with me."

"What?" she asked, blinking quickly again.

"Move in with me here, Rachel. Please. I'd love to have you here with me."

"Noah… I don't know if that's such a good idea. We've only been together a short time."

"Rachel, my biggest complaint about our relationship is that we don't see enough of each other. With your work schedule getting even more intense, we need to find a way to work around that. This is the perfect solution."

She hesitated. She needed to think about it. This was too much. Instead of letting her think about it, he started walking her around the apartment, listing its qualities like he would as a good real estate agent. He mentioned the short drive to work, the safety statistics of the neighborhood, the beautiful view, the tasteful décor, and so on. When he finally got her back to the master bedroom, he threw her down on the bed.

"The best thing about this apartment, the reason it has to be yours is that it comes with your own personal sex slave. I'll be willing to satisfy you at any time, in any position, in any room you want."

She giggled.

"So, Ms. Berry, don't break my perfect record. Did I sell you on the place or what?"

"I guess so, but I'm going to pay half the rent."

"I'd rather take it out in trade." He nuzzled her neck.

"Noah, I'm serious. I don't want people to think I'm taking advantage of you."

He kissed her neck again, "People? Or my mother?"

"Both."

"We'll figure out the details later, babe. Now it's time to seal the deal."

"Mr. Puckerman, is this how you sell so many houses?" She smirked and let him undress her.

"This will be a first. And a last."

"It's hard to find a first with you, Puck," Rachel told him, referencing his slutty past. "We'll see how long you _last_."

"Is that a challenge, babe?" She raised an eyebrow in response. "I'm totally up for a challenge."

"I know. I've been feeling how 'up' you are for the challenge against my thigh for a while now."

He had her completely naked now, beneath him. He kissed her mouth and moved to her neck, slowly running his hands over her breasts, tweaking the nipples until they were taut beneath his callused fingers. She was begging him for more, but he was keeping it slow, stoking the fires.

"Babe, I can't wait to have you here with me, every night."

"Noah, have you ever lived with a woman before?"

"Nope. Not even, babe. Never interested until you."

His hands started stroking between her thighs. She was whimpering, letting her legs writhe and reaching to stroke him with her own fingers, wrapping a fist around his cock. She shivered with excitement, and she knew a big part of that was being the first woman he'd ever live with. It was a big deal, even if he was trying not to make it into one.

"Babe, can we talk out the details tomorrow." He kissed her lips once more. "Right now I'd rather concentrate on this."

She murmured her assent, and he lowered his mouth to her. He used his lips to kiss a trail from her knee to upper thigh, then skipping up to lick her belly button.

"Noah!" she begged, pushing his head down between her legs, where she wanted him.

He licked her folds and found her clit with smooth, swirling strokes. He inserted two fingers in her and gasped when she tightened around him. Damn, she had some amazing muscles. He hooked his fingers and swirled harder on her clit. She responded quickly, working into frenzy, knowing she was close, he pulled his fingers out and she whimpered her frustration.

"Hold on, babe. I want to feel you on me." He reached for a condom and slid it on before he worked himself into her. When he was fully seated, he hooked her knees onto his shoulders and returned his fingers to her clit. She came in record time, pulsing hotly around him. He rocked into her, hoping to find a rhythm that would bring her another orgasm. When he was unable to control himself any longer, he pulled out, put his tongue to her again to get her off, and then put himself back inside her, just in time for the grand finale.

"Damn, Noah. This place is going to be worth the outrageous rent I'm sure you pay. How much is it anyway?"

"Jeeze, babe," he said, pulling out and removing the condom. "Give a guy a chance to catch his breath before you get right back to business."

He rolled out of bed to dispose of the condom and clean up. She pushed up on her elbow.

"Why are you avoiding the rent thing? Is it that much? Should I be worried about this?"

"No. It's just that, I don't pay any rent on this place. I own it."

"You own it?" Rachel asked, incredulously. That was unheard of in this part of Chicago. The real estate here was outrageous. She shook her head. "Then, I guess I'll make half your house payment."

He just leveled a look at her and shook his head as he returned to the bed.

"What? You're worried I'll be legally bound to it then? I guess we could write up some sort of rental agreement, like a border?"

"No, that's not it. I'm not worried about it, Rachel. I _own _ it."

"Holy shit. No wonder your mom was worried about me wanting you for your money. You're loaded, aren't you?"

He laughed. "No, I'm not loaded. I got this at the right price, at the right time. It was a steal, and I had to fix it up a lot. It's not for everyone. I offered it to Mark first, but they wanted a place in the suburbs…" His voice trailed off.

Rachel found it hard to believe anyone would want to live in the suburbs when they could live in the city. Chicago was an amazing place. There were so many opportunities… but, she was losing her focus.

"So, I should definitely set up some sort of rental agreement with you."

"Rachel, I don't want to talk about that. Just come here and lie in my arms. I'm freakin' geeked out about you being here all the time, and I want to enjoy every moment with you."

When she had found a comfortable spot in the crook of his arm, he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Let's buy a new comforter and stuff for the bedroom tomorrow, Rach. That will help make it more our place."

Sometimes she thought he was the most considerate man in the world. I mean, really, what guy thought of these things? No wonder she was falling for him. Wait, had she just admitted that? No. Not yet. It was too soon.

"Noah, if we're going to be living together, there's definitely something I want to change."

He tensed, fearing what it was. "What's that, babe?"

"Even though you're loaded, I don't think you can afford the condoms we'll be going through if we live together. We're going to need an alternative form of birth control."

"Fuck, yeah."

She giggled. Every now and then she got a glimpse of the Puck from high school, and he was still a hot-as-hell bad ass.


	19. Chapter 19

**Glee Rant: Puckleberry fans UNITE! We must let Fox and Ryan Murphy (owners and creators of characters of Glee) know how disappointed we are with the lack of Puckleberry in Season 2. Season 3 must reunite them! (I have much more to rant about that you don't want to bother reading.)**

**Mark Salling: How am I going to handle a long, hot summer without you? Seriously. Oh, I guess since it's real life, it will be just like always. Sigh.**

**Author's Note: Thank you. I SO appreciate your favorites, alerts, and especially the reviews. You have no idea how much I LOVE to read what you have to say. If I don't message you back, I TRIED. Really. I always try, but I've had a few glitches with FF recently. So… next time!**

************* Story will start. **************************

Because Puck threw so much business their way, he managed to get a moving company agree to pack up and move Rachel's things for free. They would officially move her in next Friday since it was a holiday weekend. Rachel laughed that it was the easiest move of her life. Puck told her it was just one of the "fringe" benefits she would have living with him. She was still a little overwhelmed at the idea of living together and seemed worried about it. She admitted to him that she had never really done well with roommates, and she attributed part of it to having been an only child. He told her he was sure they could adjust and he would help with the details. Since it was Memorial Day weekend, she had only one parade to attend on Monday. The rest of the weekend, she had off. They were out to lunch when Puck returned to an earlier conversation she had started.

"So," Puck tried to say casually, "you mentioned an alternative form of birth control?"

She laughed at his feigned casualness. "Yes, I think if we're going to be living together, we should probably trust each other to be exclusive, right?" She swallowed.

He knew this was a big step for her since her last boyfriend had cheated on her. "Babe, I've been exclusive. I, uh, I've never actually had sex without a condom."

Her mouth dropped open. Another first? "Never? But… Quinn…? And all those cougars?"

Puck shook his head. "This is what sucks about you knowing my sordid past. No, the condom is not full-proof- hence Quinn. And the others… I _always, always_ wore a condom. Every time."

She tried to keep it light again although her mind was reeling. Even though she considered herself extremely careful, she had even slipped a few times. Then there was the whole Steven fiasco…

"Well, Noah, I was going to ask you to get tested for STI's, but I guess you don't need to if you've worn a condom every time."

"Actually, I do get tested every year just in case, but I had that done about two weeks before we started dating."

"Oh, then since I was at the doctor two weeks ago and had tests run- we are all set. I've been on the pill for about two months."

"Check please." Noah put his hand up.

"NOAH!" Rachel laughed.

"I'm kidding, but… not really. It sucks that the band has to play again tonight. I never thought I'd say that. I love performing, but tonight… I'd rather be with you."

"Val and I are planning to go tonight again. I'm not going to drink as much though."

He smiled. He liked it when she got a little buzzed and was all over him. He just knew when she was drunk she was going to let down her guard and tell him she loved him.

Puck's phone rang, and he frowned. "Hello."

His face changed immediately to a look of disapproval. "What? Why are you asking me that, Cindy? Ask Jean."

"She what? Who's with you? What? We don't do that! No, give me the address. I'll be right there. Don't get out of your car."

Puck was up and moving, frantically waving the waitress down and throwing bills down on the table. Rachel grabbed her bag to follow him, having no clue what was going on but that it was some sort of emergency.

They raced to his car as he threw the words "work emergency" over his shoulder at her. He punched the address in his GPS and tore off to get there.

"What's going on?"

"Well, hopefully nothing. Cindy's meeting a client at a listing, but she's alone. We don't even know this client, and Jean is supposed to be with her but she baled for a bigger fish and left Cindy alone. Cindy's new and had a question. Now she is alone meeting that client. It's probably nothing, but our company policy is NEVER to meet a new client alone and only a familiar one under certain circumstances. This isn't the first time Jean has pulled shit like this. She seems to think she can write her own policies."

He rambled on for a while, and Rachel could see the concern on his face.

"I'm sure Cindy will be fine until we get there."

"I know. I'm half pissed because Jean keeps pulling this shit. She KNOWS this isn't okay, and she just does whatever the fuck she wants and doesn't care who gets hurt. It's what makes her good and bad at the same time. She's majorly ambitious and lands some big deals, but…" his voice trails off.

"She doesn't care who she hurts along the way?" finished Rachel.

"Exactly. I just don't want something terrible to happen because of a foolish risk she took with someone else's life, not to mention this also means she is alone for whatever she baled on Cindy for!"

Rachel nodded as they arrived at their destination. She stayed in the car while he got out to talk to Cindy. She remembered her from the picnic. Sweet girl, a little timid and young. She heard Puck reassure her when the girl seemed concerned that Jean would be upset with her over this. Puck and Cindy showed the place to a nice young couple and returned to the car area. She heard Puck compliment Cindy on something and make a few suggestions for next time. Then he sent her back to the office and grabbed his phone to call Jean. That was a pretty heated conversation with him ending the call by asking her to meet him at the office in a half an hour. Rachel tried not to dance with GLEE as she listened to his anger. When he got back in the car, he apologized for cutting their lunch short and offered to pick her up some lunch on the way to dropping her off at her apartment.

"I'm fine, Noah. What are you going to do about Jean?" Her carefully trained actress's voice left no hint about her secret wish to never see Jean again.

"She's getting fired. Puckzilla Homes always puts safety first. Always. Plus, she's broken too many rules not to be considered a liability at this point."

Rachel smiled quickly and put her mask of disinterest back on. "At least Cindy was fine."

"Yeah, and I'm glad it was nothing to worry about, but it _could_ have been. This can be a dangerous job if you're not careful. You meet strangers at empty locations…"

"Noah, you're so smart to have all these safety plans in place."

He kissed her goodbye and dropped her at her apartment. "Get packing. See you tonight."

She smiled and practically skipped up the steps to her place, calling Val to share the good news on the way. Val was as thrilled as Rachel to be rid of that bitch.

"Val, is Antonio with you right now? Do you think I could talk to him?"

She spoke to Antonio briefly, setting her plan in place. Then she went shopping, because as Val reminded her, she couldn't very well sleep in the sweats and t-shirts she currently did if she had a live-in boyfriend. She'd actually have to invest in some lingerie. Plus, she was in a very good mood. Amazing how Jean getting fired could do that.

**** That night in a bar…

Puck nodded to her as he sang when she and Val walked into the bar. They ordered drinks, but she just sipped at hers. She knew the next song he chose was not a coincidence.

Bad Things lyrics  
**Songwriters:** Everett, Jace;

When you came in the air went out  
And every shadow filled up with doubt  
I don't know who you think you are  
But before the night is through  
I wanna do bad things with you

I'm the kind to sit up in his room  
Heart sick an' eyes filled up with blue  
I don't know what you've done to me  
But I know this much is true  
I wanna do bad things with you, okay

When you came in the air went out  
And all those shadows there filled up with doubt  
I don't know who you think you are  
But before the night is through  
I wanna do bad things with you  
I wanna do real bad things with you

I don't know what you've done to me  
But I know this much is true  
I wanna do bad things with you  
I wanna do real bad things with you

Their eyes connected while he sang, and she licked her lips in anticipation. He had to look away then, but his eyes skipped back quickly for the chorus. Rachel and Val danced, talked, laughed and enjoyed themselves. When Puck introduced the band, Antonio interrupted him.

"Hey, Puck, we have a request from the audience tonight."

Puck looked at him, surprised. "Okay, Antonio, what's our request?"

"There's a little lady who wants to sing a song for us, and I told her she could."

Puck shot him an irritated look. It was a fairly common request and it always sucked. These people who thought they could sing… sucked. This wasn't freakin' American Idol. They should get their own band to sing with.

"Ah… Antonio, I'm not sure if we've got time for that tonight-"

"We've got time. Ladies and Gentlemen, no doubt you've seen promos for the highly anticipated new show 'Chi-Town Chit-Chat', and we are pleased to announce its host, Rachel Berry!"

Puck looked surprised. Why hadn't Rachel told him she wanted to sing with him tonight? He loved singing with her.

As she approached the stage, he smiled at her. "What do you want us to sing, Rach?"

"Noah, this time, I'm not singing _with _you, I'm singing _to_ you."

She grabbed the microphone, and nodded to the band. He couldn't mask his surprise.

"Like we used to do in Glee?"

"Exactly like we used to do in Glee. I hope you like it."

The band counted out the beats and started the song. She focused her eyes between Noah and the crowd as she sang the heartfelt song.

Lady Antebellum "Ready to Love Again"

**"Ready To Love Again"**

Seems like I was walking in the wrong direction  
I barely recognize my own reflection, no  
Scared of love but scared of life alone

Seems I've been playing on the safe side baby  
Building walls around my heart to save me, oh  
But it's time for me to let it go

Yeah, I'm ready to feel now  
No longer am I afraid of the fall down  
It must be time to move on now  
Without the fear of how it might end  
I guess I'm ready to love again

Just when we think that love will never find you  
You runaway but still it's right behind you, oh  
It's just something that you can't control

Yeah, I'm ready to feel now  
No longer am I afraid of the fall down  
It must be time to move on now  
Without the fear of how it might end  
I guess I'm ready to love again

So come and find me  
I'll be waiting up for you  
I'll be holding out for you tonight

Yeah, I'm ready to feel now  
No longer am I afraid of the fall down

It must be time to move on now  
Without the fear of how it might end  
I guess I'm ready, I'm ready to love again

When she was done singing, she winked at him and walked off the stage to thunderous applause. It took him a moment to recover and he cursed under his breath that he had to stay focused on the set and finish until break time. It was hard to keep his eyes off Rachel, and she couldn't seem to meet his gaze.

During the band's break, he grabbed her by the hand and walked her to the parking lot so he could talk to her. Placing his mouth against hers, he kissed her thoroughly, soothing her tongue with his own.

"Loved your song."

She smiled. "I've always best expressed myself through music."

He pulled her in his arms. "It's enough for now."


	20. Chapter 20

**Glee Disclaimer: The characters of Glee belong to FOX. Sigh. Apparently they ignore the demands of the fans and Puckleberry isn't happening. At the very least they could squash the ridiculous Puck-Lauren relationship. I mean, seriously, he could have… me!**

**Mark Salling: Shudder. Shudder again. Trying to cleanse my impure thoughts. Shudder. Didn't work.**

**Author's Note: THANK YOU, readers. You have been so WONDERFUL for this story. I SO appreciate the alerts, favorites, and reviews- especially the reviews. Sometimes you make me laugh with your comments (BAHNANNAH), sometimes you make me worry (JayJackson), sometimes you get it so SPOT ON (BELDOC)! IF I don't respond to your review, trust me, I tried. I may occasionally miss one, or have technical difficulties, but I appreciate your time so much that I want to take the time to thank you.**

******************************* Story will start. ********

After Puck and the band packed up, he grabbed a tipsy Rachel to take back to his place. Val and Antonio called to them, before they reached the car and asked them to go out for drinks. Puck called out that he had a headache so they would have an excuse not to go. There was no way he was delaying tonight any more than necessary.

When they got to the apartment, Rachel started kissing him fiercely in the kitchen, but he pushed her down the hall to the bedroom. He was not doing this in the kitchen- this time.

He quickly tore her shirt off her, popping buttons all the way.

"Christ. I'm sorry, Rachel. I'll get you a new shirt, okay?" He continued to kiss her neck and down the tops of her boobs.

She laughed, "Oh, I don't care about the shirt. Just keep doing what you're doing."

He grinned. "New bra?"

She smiled. He'd noticed. "Yeah. I did a little shopping. I have a whole slew of new things to surprise you with…"

The growl in the back of his throat didn't scare her. He was already working to get her out of those jeans. As he worked, he laved her tits with his tongue, swirling around the nipples. When she was mostly undressed, he shoved his own jeans and underwear down, and stepped out of them. Then he threw his socks across the room and reached beneath her to take off her bra.

"In a hurry, honey?" Rachel asked sweetly, knowing the answer.

"Just a bit," he ground out in answer as he stripped off his shirt.

"Just don't rush things too much, babe. We need to enjoy this."

He smirked. "I can personally guarantee that you will enjoy this."

She smirked back. "Prove it."

So he did. He reached a hand between her legs and growled again at her wetness. He inserted a finger inside her and pressed up against her clit with the heel of his palm, applying pressure. He kissed her neck and moved across to her lips and back to her neck as he worked her, assaulting her senses in her most vulnerable spots. When she was almost ready to come, he removed his fingers and tore her underwear off her to get to her with his mouth.

"Puck! Those were brand new!"

"Get used to it, babe. If you're going to be this hot, I'm going to rip your clothes off from time to time."

She grinned. "Okay, where were we?"

"I was proving something to you."

He lowered his tongue to her slit and swiped top to bottom then went to work on her clit. Again, when she was almost there, he stopped.

"Don't stop now!" she whined, as he began kissing her again.

"Oh, I know what I'm doing. Trust me."

She laughed at the look on his face. "What's wrong, Noah? For the first time, you look… confused!"

He gave her a look of frustration. "I just can't decide how I want to do this. I just want to be able to feel all of you… and… I don't know…"

She pushed him back on the bed and straddled him, letting her wet slit tease against his length.

"Well, if you can't decide, I can."

She lined herself up over him and let him slide into her, all the way, deep. He groaned feeling himself, bare, all the way inside her wetness.

"Fuck. Rachel." He grabbed ahold of her and stopped. "Don't move for a minute. Just sit tight."

She couldn't sit tight though and began rocking on him, he counted backwards in his mind, trying to ignore how amazing she felt around him. He reached down to her clit with his thumb and sat up to lick her nipples again. She was completely on him, engulfing his enormous dick, rocking rhythmically onto him. He pulled her mouth to his to kiss her.

"Oh, god, Rachel, you feel amazing. So tight. So hot. So wet."

"Puck, I… love… this."

She keened out her release then, and he sighed with relief as he thrust up into her with his own release, the first time he ever came unprotected into a woman. Damn. She was amazing, and he was going to be able to do this to her every day and night when they lived together.

She collapsed against him, and he kissed her over and over, until they were both uncomfortable. Then he took her into the bathroom to help her clean up. He kissed her and took her back to bed to pull her into his arms to sleep.

"Oh, Rachel. You are incredible. I love being with you."

"I love being with you too, Noah. You are amazing."

**** In the morning…

Rachel scooted out the door the next morning for a quick live promo at the local news show. She promised to meet him at the lake later so they could enjoy a day at the beach. They did have a beautiful day at the beach that afternoon, and Antonio and Val met them there.

They were watching some fireworks from the deck of a restaurant, when Antonio dropped to one knee in front of Val.

"Valerie, sweetheart, I've never met a woman like you, and I can't imagine being without you a minute longer. Will you marry me?"

Rachel's mouth had dropped open as soon as she saw him on his knee. She looked at Val who was tearing up and screaming "YES!" She looked at Noah to see if he had known this was going to happen, but he was unreadable, yet smiling.

They celebrated with champagne and stayed most of the night. Rachel's shock eventually wore off as Val and Antonio called their friends, and the evening became an impromptu engagement party, although he hadn't bought a ring because he wanted her to pick her own out.

When Rachel returned from the bathroom, Noah pushed her up against the wall in the little hallway.

"Will you stop attacking me in strange places?" she joked.

"Nope. Probably not. Ever."

"Did you know he was going to do that?"

"Well, I wasn't completely surprised, but I didn't know it was going to happen tonight."

Rachel swallowed. "I'm just shocked that it's all happening so fast."

"I guess they're the best judges of that. Besides, maybe they'll have a long engagement."

"I don't think so. She's talking Christmas already."

He kissed her again, long and passionately. "Baby, when can we go home? It's been almost 22 hours since I've been inside you, and I need you again."

She laughed and made a vague promise for later, but when he returned from the bathroom and saw all the shots lined up in front of Val and Rachel, he knew his chances of scoring that night were going right out the window. He resigned himself to that, and nursed a soda as he sobered up for the drive home.

A few hours later, he half carried a very drunk Rachel to the apartment. She was singing to him, and kissing him a little, making dirty promises of all the things she wanted to do to him. He tried not to get excited because he knew she would probably pass out as soon as she hit the bed, but he wondered briefly if he should record this conversation for future use.

When he went to the bathroom, he came out to see her completely out on the bed, in her sandy clothing over her bathing suit. He carefully took her clothes off her and rolled her into the bed, planning to change the sheets tomorrow. He hopped into the shower to shake off some of the sand from his own body. His raging boner gave evidence to the fact that he had listened to her erotic promises a little too well, even though he knew she wasn't capable of following thru on them. When he went to bed, and she scooted her tight little ass into his crotch as she slept, he wondered if it really would be okay that they were living together. There might be times when he needed her to be a little less close. He'd never even really thought about having a girl live with him before, and now he was glad that he was able to share this with Rachel. He hoped she wasn't sick in the morning so they could fool around then. He needed to feel her around him again. Oh, fuck. He went out to the couch to sleep, desperate to have some space from her body so he could actually fall asleep. He watched a little TV and figured he'd go back to bed when he would be able to fall immediately asleep and ignore the naked hottie lying next to him. That should be… never.

In the morning, he heard Rachel in the bathroom, very obviously puking. He had moved back to the bed about 5 a.m., with a stiff neck from falling asleep on the couch.

"Babe, can I get you anything?"

"Water," she choked out and heaved into the toilet again.

Several hours later, she was almost recovered from the night before. She was lying on the bed, having a two-hour reprieve from puking, lamenting the shots from the night before and swearing off alcohol in general. Noah got them some subs and brought them into the bedroom to eat with some salty chips and more water. She should be pretty hydrated by now.

He had picked up a movie and put it in the player so they could watch it while they ate. When they were done eating, he pulled her into his arms and started kissing her tenderly. When she climbed out of Puck's t-shirt she'd been wearing, he eagerly stripped out of his own clothes. Then his cell rang. He cocked his head to the side.

Rachel was a little miffed. "Ignore it." She whispered.

"It's Mark. He wouldn't call unless… it must be important."

He grabbed his cell off the nightstand and greeted his friend and partner.

"'Sup?"

Rachel immediately knew something was wrong by the way his body stiffened. Karen could not be in labor yet. It was way too early.

"Be right there!" said Puck into the phone as he started throwing his clothes on. Rachel immediately started dressing herself as well and followed him toward the door.

"Karen's bleeding. They're on their way to the hospital. I've got to meet them there." He looked at Rachel. She didn't have real clothes here yet, just her sandy stuff from yesterday. "You don't have to go…"

"I want to. They're your best friends. They're important to me too. If nothing else, I want to be there for you."

He kissed her quickly, and they raced out of the apartment to the street where he was parked.


	21. Chapter 21

**Glee Disclaimer: The characters of Glee belong to FOX. I was SO disappointed in Season 2. I'm hoping Season 3 brings it back up a notch!**

**Mark Salling: I am not going to Glee Live. Not because I don't want to see you, because I don't trust myself to see you LIVE and not… maul you. Really. I'd hate to be arrested…**

**Author's Note: Hmmmm. Interest in this story is hard to gage. I am still getting story alerts and favorites but not as many reviews… THANKS to those of you who have taken the time to review. I LOVE hearing from you. SERIOUSLY. You keep me going.**

************************** Story will start. **********************************************

When they got to the hospital, they parked and quickly raced to the floor where Mark had said they would be. He was not in the waiting room, but Puck texted him that they were there so he could find them when it worked. Shortly after they arrived in the waiting room, where Puck was nervously pacing, Mark came out of a nearby bathroom.

"Puck!" Man hug exchanged. Nod to Rachel. "Thanks for coming, man. I appreciate it. You too, Rachel."

"Course," said Puck, with an extra shoulder thump. "I'm always here for you. You know that. Where are the kids?"

"The neighbor has them right now. Her mom is in the room with her right now."

"What do you know?"

"She started bleeding, a whole lot. She wasn't even doing anything strenuous or anything, just folding laundry, but, it was bad. Scary. She was in a lot of pain. They called it placental abruption. I guess it means the placenta is trying to detach from her or something. It's dangerous for the baby. We could still lose the baby."

"Oh, no. What are they prescribing for Karen for treatment?" asked Rachel.

Puck was relieved that she knew what questions to ask. He wasn't even sure what exactly had happened. His head was spinning.

"They're going to keep her hear for at least a couple of days. After that it definitely requires bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy. She'll start out with more frequent doctor appointments, and if there are any other complications, they'll keep her in the hospital or get ready to start labor. The baby needs the placenta to survive." Mark's eyes teared up with concern, and Rachel's swelled with liquid just seeing him in pain like this.

"I'm sure everything will be fine. She's getting good care here. It's the safest thing to do. I know they will do everything they can for her."

"Yeah, here is okay. It's at home where it gets complicated. Her mom will help out, but… she can't watch the kids at all."

"We'll alternate days. I'll take Fridays. Fridays can be Uncle Puck days. They can stay with me overnight so you both get some rest. You just take as much time off work as you can, and I'm sure her mom will help."

Rachel beamed at Puck, proud that he was so quick to lend a hand in the best way.

"Mark, my schedule is crazy, but I will help with the kids whenever I can. I promise."

"Thanks, Rachel. That's really sweet of you. Thank you, Puck. The kids would love it, but I know you don't have a good set up for kids…"

"Mark, it's going to be fine. They'll love it."

Mark ran his hand over his head, and grimaced, trying to collect himself.

"Karen's not really up for long visits, but I know she'd love to see you."

"Not tonight," Rachel said, "she needs to rest, and we just wanted to be here for you. Is there anything we can do tonight? Should we go to the house?"

"No, thanks for coming. Actually, I'm going to head home now and get the kids. Her mom is going to be here for a while, and I will come back in the morning."

When they left the hospital, a short time later, Rachel grabbed for Noah's hand, eager to console him.

"So… what exactly does that mean?" he asked.

"I'm not exactly positive, but I think it's pretty serious. The placenta is the tube that's attached to the mom that feeds the baby, and if that's detaching, then the baby is not getting something it needs."

He nodded. He kind of knew that. At least he was pretty sure he did.

He gripped her hand and they went back to his place to fall asleep holding each other, neither one even considering sex, just too exhausted not to need the arms of the other.

The rest of the week flew for both of them. Puck was trying to be helpful at work for Mark, but he also needed to clear some space in his apartment for Rachel's stuff. She really only had personal stuff since she had been staying at a friend's furnished apartment, but she would need some space. Karen had gone home from the hospital, and they were making it work with Mark working from home and the kids going to daycare part-time. Mark just wasn't comfortable leaving Karen alone yet.

Puck didn't see Rachel again until the movers were moving her stuff in on Friday. He had picked up the kids about 8 a.m. and taken them out for a pancake breakfast. Then they went to the zoo, and grabbed some lunch there. When he got back to the apartment, there were only a few boxes yet to be unpacked. He had hired full-service movers who would do as much as possible. David and Courtney were exhausted, and he put David in his bed and Courtney in the spare bedroom for a nap. Neither one complained, although he let David watch some cartoons, hoping that would help him stay calm. As much as the kids enjoyed being with Uncle Puck, they were quite aware that something was wrong, and they weren't entirely themselves.

When Rachel walked through the door, he grabbed her and kissed her, pulling her onto his lap on the couch.

"Babe, I missed you. What do we need to unpack first?"

"Well, the movers did as much as they could. I just had a few boxes marked 'personal', that I wanted to unpack myself."

"Yeah," he grinned lecherously, "I can't wait to help you unpack those!"

She smacked hi s arm. "What do you want me to make for dinner?"

He looked at her, and his jaw dropped. "You can cook?"

"Well," she flushed, "not really, but I figured I could make something kids would eat."

He grinned, glad he really _did_ know her that well. "I was just planning to get pizza."

"Noah, we can't just load them up on junk."

"Why not? It's just one night."

She shrugged and agreed it wouldn't be that big of a deal. If he at least made sure they had some fruit and milk with it.

"Now, where were we?" he asked, with a grin, as he lowered his lips to her neck.

"Uncle Puck, I can't sleep. I'm too big for a nap anyway. Can I come out now? Oh, hi Rachel."

Rachel smiled and ruffled his hair. "David, I was hoping you'd be here when I arrived. I've missed you, buddy. I'm glad you're going to be staying with us tonight."

David smiled at her. I brought Candyland. Wanna play?"

So, they played Candyland until Courtney woke up from her nap. Rachel won all three games although she tried to make it work for David to win.

"You're REALLY good, Rachel. " He complimented.

"Wow, thanks, David. I'm impressed you're such a good sport!"

David just looked at her, having no idea what she meant.

"She means it was nice of you to say that after we lost three times to her."

David nodded and smiled. "Yeah, it's not as much fun as winning, but I like the game."

When Courtney got up, Rachel suggested Uncle Puck get his guitar out and play for them while they sang.

"Uncle Puck, you know how to play the guitar?"

"Yeah, buddy, I'm pretty good too."

"Do you know 'The Wheels on the Bus'?"

"I think I can handle it."

So, after an hour or so of kids' songs, Puck gave Rachel the look that said his brain had gone to mush and might not return to normal if they sang one more stupid song. She caught it and suggested they do something else. So they set David and Courtney up with some cars from David's backpack in the living room and headed to the kitchen to assess what they had for dinner.

They all four walked to the corner market, just to get out and have something to do. They got some strawberries for the kids as well as milk, since Puck didn't have any in the house. They walked another block, Noah carrying Courtney, to order a pizza and waited for it outside in the nice spring air. They walked it back to the apartment and sat down to a dinner. Rachel fixed a salad for the adults as well, although Puck was content with just pizza and breadsticks.

After dinner, they settled onto the couch to watch some of Rachel's DISNEY movies, apparently she had an entire collection of them. This was something new. Puck figured there was going to be a lot to learn about Rachel in the next few weeks as they settled in together. He had Courtney on his lap, but he still managed to caress Rachel's leg with his other hand as they watched Finding Nemo. When Courtney had fallen asleep, he asked a drowsy David if he was ready for bed too.

"I'll just watch TV in your room, Uncle Puck."

"Actually, David, you'll sleep in the other room with Courtney."

"But what about Rachel?"

Puck scrunched his face up, unsure what the kid was asking. "She'll be in my room. She lives here now."

David grinned. "Uncle Puck, did you and Rachel get married?"

"Noooo, she just lives here." Noah was beginning to feel uncomfortable, explaining himself to a four-year-old. "She needed a place to stay."

"Uncle Puck," David was using that irritating, I'm-trying-to-get-you-to-understand-this voice, "only married people sleep in the same bed. Everyone knows that. My nana says married people get to sleep together after the wedding; that's why people get married."

Rachel laughed at his explanation, and covered her mouth when she saw irritated looks from both David and Noah. "Sorry, David, your nana sounds pretty smart."

"She is. You and Rachel can't sleep in the same bed unless you get married. Then you can sleep together."

Puck was looking more than a little upset. This was the first night Rachel would be here living with him. They hadn't been _together_ since Saturday night. He wasn't giving this up for anything.

"Well, we're going to this once, David. Don't tell your nana, okay?"

David frowned. "Uncle Puck, you can't do that. We're not 'posed to do anything that upsets Mama right now, and that might upset her."

Rachel agreed, "You're right, David. We don't want to upset your mama, so I will just sleep in the other bedroom with Courtney, and you can sleep with Uncle Puck in his room."

David nodded, clearly glad that they were seeing things his way again. Puck looked completely exasperated.

"But…" his voice trailed off at the look from Rachel that clearly told him there was nothing they could do.

'Tomorrow' she mouthed to him, and placed a kiss from her fingers to his lips to appease him.

He took Courtney to the other room. David went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and then hopped into the big bed.

"Come watch cartoons with me, Uncle Puck."

Puck glanced down the hall where his girlfriend was sleeping and sighed, resigning himself to another night of no sex. He couldn't believe he had foolishly volunteered to watch these kids on their first night as live-ins. It had to be the most bonehead move of his life- and he had taken out an ATM with his mom's car when he was sixteen!

**AN: Hoping to wrap up this story in the next chapter or two, but there will be a sequel- although I'm not sure if it will be started right away. I have a few other FUN ideas to work on!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Glee Disclaimer: The Glee characters belong to Fox. This is just for fun.**

**Mark Salling: I'm almost as infatuated with you as you are with disc golf. The glee tour thing is making me LAUGH. BUT, anything that puts shirtless photos of you on the net, I'm practically a cheerleader for!**

**Author's Note: Thank you, readers. You are awesome and supportive and enthusiastic for the story when I need you. The end is getting messy, and I had planned to end it with the trip to Lima, but… I may not. Regardless, it sounds like a sequel is in the works! (Although I may attempt, for the first time ever, to write two stories at once because I have an idea that is EATING away at my brain!) THANKS SO MUCH to the reviewers! No, really, you have no idea how much I appreciate it!**

****************** Story will start. **********************************************

Puck woke up grumpy after getting kicked all night by David when he was expecting to be curled up with Rachel. He shuffled to the kitchen to make some pancakes for the kids. Rachel wasn't a fan of bacon, but he was definitely going to need some this morning. He was surprised to find Rachel and Courtney cuddling on the couch, watching cartoons in whispered voices.

"Uncle Puck!" exclaimed Courtney, holding her arms out to be scooped up. That little smile was enough to chase away most of his rotten mood, and he grinned at her.

"Princess Courtney! Princess Rachel! How are the two most beautiful princesses I know?" He kissed Courtney's cheek and squeezed her tightly, making her giggle.

"Rachel's not a princess!"

"Au contraire, my dear Princess Courtney, she's as much my princess as are you!"

Rachel smiled at him. He leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Mornin' I missed you last night."

Her eyes twinkled at him. "I missed you too."

He was sure she didn't purposely lick her lips just then, but it made him go half hard just watching that. Damn Nana rules. He scowled again and set Courtney down, returning her to the couch to be with Rachel. "Uncle Puck's making pancakes and bacon."

Rachel set her mouth in that disapproving line. He ignored it. He couldn't have his sex fix, he needed something to get him through the day.

David woke up just then and literally bounced into the kitchen.

"Uncle Puck, you're cooking? My mom always cooks at my house. At least she did before…" His voice trailed off in a worrisome tone that was unnatural for a four-year-old.

"Uncle Puck is a great cook, and I'm not much of one, I'm afraid." Rachel inserted, pulling David to the couch with Courtney and her.

"Oh, well, at least you're good at Candy Land."

"Yes, there's that." She smiled.

Puck made Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes that had the kids oohing and ahhing over his skills. He grinned and they all enjoyed breakfast. Rachel packed their things after they got dressed and offered to stay back and clean up while Puck returned the kids to their own house.

He held her eyes for a moment. "You'll be here when I get back, right?"

"Yes, I should be. I don't have any other plans for today."

He shook his head at her. "Not 'I should be.' I will be. I will definitely be here waiting for you."

She laughed, but he made her promise and sealed it with a lustful kiss.

Puck drove the kids back to the suburbs as quickly as he dared. Saturday morning traffic wasn't too bad, and he got there in great time. After the kids went tearing into the house to see their mom, Mark and he unloaded their stuff from his car, Mark thanking him profusely.

"So… was everything alright?" Mark asked. "Was David naughty?"

"What?" Puck shook his head. "No, he was great. They both were."

"Then why do you keep scowling at my son like he took your last bowl of ice cream."

Puck started to deny it, and then took a deep breath. "Cuz he did! Little fucker wouldn't let Rachel sleep with me!"

"What?" shouted Mark, breaking into hysterical laughter. "How did that happen?"

"He told us his nana says only married people can sleep together. He wouldn't let me. He thought it might upset his mom."

Mark tried to comment between fits of laughter, but it was very difficult and took him several minutes to get it all out.

"Sorry, Puck. Who knew the kid could cockblock you? I had no idea my mom still held a grudge."

"What do you mean? You think she set it up?"

"Oh, yeah, she did. She knew you two were living together, and she knew they were going to your place last night. She must have had a long talk with him when she watched the kids earlier this week. She never really got over you turfing the lawn in college that one time."

"What? It was an accident! I was driving your drunk ass home! She should be grateful!"

"I know, but she never really saw it that way. Mostly she couldn't stand that you had corrupted her little boy and turned him into a drunk college kid!"

"That was like 8 years ago. I've grown up. Jesus. She can't still be mad about that!"

"Oh, she can and probably is. Jewish mothers don't have the market cornered on crazy, you know. Catholic mothers are pretty evil themselves. I'm sure she said a rosary or two over our friendship."

Puck left shortly after that. He popped in quickly to see Karen, but he could see how run-down she was, so he just said hello and left again quickly, promising to bring Rachel along next time. On his way home, the cell rang. He looked to see that it was Rachel and hoped nothing came up to prevent her from being home for sex.

"Rachel?"

"Noah," she purred into the phone. "How much longer before you're home?"

"Not too long. Like ten minutes tops. Why?"

"I'm just lying here in our bed, naked, and restless. I don't know how much longer I can take this _waiting_."

His dick went rock hard in seconds, and his grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Babe, I'll be there in a few minutes. Don't get out of that bed."

"Why? What are you going to do with me?"

He looked around the road carefully and took a deep breath.

"First, I'm going to kiss you. I'm going to put my mouth to yours and press my tongue into your sweet little mouth."

She pouted a little. "I could have had that last night."

"Then, I'm going to put my hand to your breasts and tease them, whirling and kissing the tiny pink nipples. If you moan in response, I'll know you want me to pinch them."

She moaned then, into the phone, and his dick went to stone. Seriously. He stretched and readjusted carefully, looking around at the traffic around him.

"What else are you going to do to me, Noah? What will _come_ next?" The thing was, she was an actress. She knew exactly how to affect a sultry voice and where to insert the innuendoes as she spoke. Her voice was practically purring, and it had directly affected his dick.

"Damn, Rach. You're gonna cause an accident."

She clicked her disapproval into the phone, and he answered.

"Then I'm going to reach between your legs. I'm going to feel your soft pussy lips and stroke them lightly with my fingers. They're already going to be soaking wet for me, showing me how hot you are for me. Are you hot for me already, Rachel?"

"Mmmmmm-mmmmm. So wet. So hot."

Christ. He missed the turn. He'd have to pick it up on the next block.

"Then I'm going to graze over your clit, just feather light touches to it. When you start panting, I'll just insert one finger into your tight little hole. I'll stroke it in and out of you- increasing my pace feverishly. When you come, you'll tighten up on me and cry out with my name. As you're coming down from that first orgasm, I'll add another finger. This time I'll hook it to hit the back of your g-spot. Then my tongue will start its work. First I'll just push your clit with my tongue, back and forth. Then I'll suck it in tight and wet and warm, continuing to work my fingers in and out of you."

"Noah," came the cry from the other end of the phone.

He threw the car into park and shot out of it, running through the door to the elevator.

"I'm almost there, Rach. Are you?"

"Oh, Noah, oh, yes. Come. Here. Now. Please."

The elevator had never taken so long in his life. He was frantic to get to his apartment. This was painful and hot, his head was swimming and the phone was to his ear still.

"Wait for me, Rach. I'm almost there. Just wait for me."

"Noah, I'm naked and waiting for you. Wet and ready in your bed. In _our_ bed."

He threw the door open, mentally reminding himself to talk to her about that later. (Seriously? Who doesn't lock the door in Chicago?) His clothes were being removed and thrown around the apartment as he got to the bedroom naked. She saw him and climbed up the bed to reach for him. His lips found hers in a feverish pace, ready to make good on his promises to her. When she reached for his cock, he shoved her hand away, not willing to risk it.

Later, when they were exhausted and sweaty in their bed, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her eyelids.

"You are amazingly hot, Rachel Berry. I can't believe you tortured me like that on the phone."

"I can't believe you did _exactly_ what you said you would to me." She stretched and pulled her body in tighter to him.

"Yeah, and, about the door. You have to lock it you know. This isn't Lima."

"I totally will- except when I'm waiting for you to have hot, nasty sex with me in the next ten minutes."

He pretended to consider it. "Deal."

"Noah, I have to tell you how amazing it was to see you with David and Courtney again."

He scowled. "Rachel, I got cock-blocked by a four-year-old."

"I know, but you did the right thing for a little boy who was scared for his mama. That is amazing, and it made me realize that I have completely fallen for you. I love you, Noah Puckerman. You are an incredible guy."

"Finally. I guess that's worth getting cock-blocked over. I love you too, Rachel."

This time, they made love tenderly and sweetly, not like the hot sex from earlier at all. Puck kept whispering in her ear how amazing she was and how much he loved her. Her neck was a soft, sweet oasis of kissing.

After they showered (separately), and Puck had picked up some take-out, they ate on the couch in sweats.

"Seriously, you think Mark's mom did it on purpose?"

"I don't even think it so much as know it. So does Mark. The woman totally hates me. She just can't get over this one little incident in college…"

He told her the story that left her in stitches. She couldn't believe that the Puck from high school had actually gotten worse before he became the Noah she'd fallen in love with.

"Don't forget that we're going to Lima next weekend for Father's Day."

"How could I forget? We're coming out."

She giggled. "Coming out? Is that how you think of it? We're coming out to my gay dads?"

This time he laughed as well. It was a little ironic…

**Author's Note: I think that there will be just one more chapter. And… you may get a glimpse of Jean in it!**


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